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Meet the new London routemaster

A full-scale model of London's new Routemaster bus has been unveiled.

London mayor Boris Johnson said the buses, which will come into service 2012, were a combination of "nostalgia" and the "latest technology".

The fuel-efficient bus will be quieter than its diesel-run predecessor and have a platform offering passengers the traditional hop-on hop-off service.

The new bus will return to the driver-and-conductor model - a key feature of the original version.

hummm

Quite. I have never understood why London has to have bespoke buses built for it when everyone else seems to manage with off the peg standard vehicles.

Complete White elephant to replace the Mercedes Citaro artics being sold off after very short operating lives. Waste waste waste.

The new prototype London Routemaster bus ran out of fuel on a motorway, just days after being formally unveiled.

The New Bus for London had to pull over on Monday after warning lights came on.

The bus, which runs on a hybrid diesel-electric motor, was not refuelled before being driven from London to Millbrook Testing Ground, Bedfordshire.

Transport for London (TfL) said the bus recharged its battery using energy from its brakes, but on long journeys had to run on diesel.

The prototype bus was unveiled by London Mayor Boris Johnson on Friday and is undergoing testing in the capital.

It had been displayed in London over the weekend after the Trafalgar Square unveiling.

"The bus is designed for stop-start driving, which enables the battery to be recharged automatically," a TfL spokesman said. "However when the bus undertakes long, non-stopping motorway journeys, such as its journey to Bedfordshire this morning, it can lose charge and the driver is briefed to pull to the side of the road to allow the battery to recharge.

"After the battery had re-charged the driver was unable to re-start the engine. "It was later established that the bus had run out of diesel.

"Once the bus was refuelled it carried on its journey. We will be speaking with the operator to ensure that this does not happen again."

TfL claims the new bus will be the most environmentally friendly vehicle of its kind once it enters service. Eight of them will come into service in 2012.

From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16244634):

I'd have thought a swift glance at the fuel gauge ought to establish that

So is the idea that they easily carry enough fuel for a known number of days' duty and are topped up on a regular schedule? Or does a mechanic go throuhg the depot every night with a dipstick?!

Seriously, given that the cost of a modern bus can be easily in the hundreds of thousands of pounds (and I would guess is much higher for Boris's vanity project given all its peculiarities), the relative cost saving of omitting a fuel gauge must be fairly inconsequential.

Yes, although (at least on older stock, less sure about newer ones) they are often not in the driver's cab but on the exterior of the loco/unit - usually a gauge indicating roughly how many gallons remaining but occasionally just a sight glass.

How can anyone prefer the bendy bus vs the 'new routemaster'? 

The former caught fire and many didnt pay - the latter will be better value (as long as TfL buy plenty)

Wrightbus set to supply 600 London buses

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Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, pictured on a life-size model of the new London bus in 2010

The County Antrim company, Wrightbus, is on the verge of signing a multi-million pound contract to build 600 buses for London commuters.

Transport for London (TfL), which manages the city's public transport network, agreed the finance for the order at a board meeting on Thursday.

Wrightbus, which is based in Ballymena, was originally awarded a contract in 2010 to design a new bus for London. Eight of its prototype buses are already being used in the city.

It was the first time in 50 years that a new bus had been designed for London commuters.

Wrightbus is the only firm which builds the hybrid double-decker which features the old-style hop on, hop-off platform favoured by the London Mayor, Boris Johnston. He visited Ballymena last year to drive the first prototype off the production line. At the time he described it as a "world-class piece of technology" and "the cleanest, greenest bus" in the UK.

In a statement on Thursday, Transport for London said it will be "the largest order of hybrid buses ever placed in Europe and will deliver significant environmental benefits".

"The decision takes forward Mayor Boris Johnson's election pledge to introduce 600 of the new Routemaster-inspired vehicles that resurrect the iconic hop-on hop-off rear platform by 2016. The new bus for London incorporates the most innovative and cutting edge hybrid technology and is the most environmentally-friendly bus of its kind, benefiting air quality and reducing carbon emissions," the statement added.

Stormont Enterprise minister Arlene Foster said she was confident Wrightbus would secure the order. "The Wright Group's continuing success in winning major contracts reflects the company's focus on innovation and export marketing which has resulted in it becoming a significant player across a range of international markets," she added.

The MP for North Antrim, Ian Paisley, said the proposed deal was a "very significant boost" for the Northern Ireland economy. "The ability of Wrightbus to secure these kind of orders comes the company's innovation and commitment to quality.

"It is this kind of high quality and high value engineering which can ensure that Northern Ireland companies can compete with, and beat the best in the world to secure contracts," Mr Paisley added.

Wrightbus was founded in Ballymena in 1946 and describes itself as "one of the Europe's leading suppliers of accessible public transport vehicles".

Last month, the company won a three-year contract worth ^41m to supply 550 double-decker buses to Singapore.

On Thursday, Wrightbus said they would not be making any comment at this stage.

Where do bendy buses go to retire?

I am not sure but I saw a number of what appeared to be ex-London vehicles parked in a yard next to Ryde St John's Road station on the Isle of Wight today.  They had been stripped of their destination blinds and I assume were in storage.

Where do bendy buses go to retire?

Where do bendy buses go to retire?

New Routemaster's battery problems mean many run on just diesel

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Drivers complain the hybrid system does not work "in 90% of buses" and they "don't feel in control"

Driven by diesel or "clean and green", the 21st Century Routemaster bus is making drivers see red. But while mayoral hopefuls hop on board to join the row, transport bosses say they're on the right road.

I'm told that at the back of a bus depot, there is a large pile of power batteries that no longer work. All have been removed from the new bus for London and are a crucial part of the hybrid system. Drivers say that many buses across London are operating without them in place.

That means in some cases what Transport for London (TfL) claims is "the most environmentally friendly bus of its type" is running only on diesel.

Leon Daniels from TfL had maintained that: "The New Routemaster is the cleanest and greenest bus of its class and we have seen absolutely no safety problems with its hybrid system." But today he admitted 80 of the new Routemasters are running on diesel generators and in all 200 will have failing batteries replaced under warranty.

I asked Mr Daniels if he was embarrassed about these performance issues. He said he was proud that London was at the forefront of developing new technologies.

In fact the batteries have been a problem for some time. In March, I reported that the batteries were going to be replaced under warranty.

A number of drivers have raised the issue with Christian Wolmar, a transport journalist who is also seeking the Labour nomination for mayor of London. They complain a lack of batteries means the diesel engine cannot cope. The bus is slower than usual and has poor acceleration.

A letter from one driver said: "In about 90% of buses the hybrid system does not work. It is instead running on the diesel engine all the time (not eco-friendly is it?)."

Others said: "The hybrid system does not work", that it is "very slow", "it just cuts out in the middle of the road" and drivers "don't feel in control of the bus".

Mr Wolmar said: "What they have told me is profoundly shocking. These buses do not work properly, the electric motor does not work. They stall quite a lot and there's a danger of them rolling back. Sometimes they go completely out of phase and all the red lights come on and the drivers find it very difficult to control them at times. The drivers say almost nine out of 10 do not have the electric motors working. This bus is a ridiculous throw back. It has been a total waste of money. It's a Boris failure."

The Unite union has also received complaints.

John Murphy, Unite's regional officer, said: "The batteries just aren't fit for purpose. It's not that the technology isn't there it's just the wrong technology. Personally I think this stems from the rush to get through this vanity project. They're not really a practical bus for London. The common practice now is to take the batteries out of the buses so effectively these very expensive environmentally friendly buses are just running on diesel."

These buses cost ^354,000 - a normal hybrid off the peg costs about ^300,000.

At the moment there are 500 operating on the roads. A further 300 will be on the road during 2016.

These have been bought by TfL, not the bus companies.

Some commuters love the look of them, others hate the stifling heat on the top deck that is yet to be resolved.

Mr Daniels said: "An improved battery design was introduced on new deliveries and any older ones which fail are repaired or replaced. This has all been done by the manufacturers within the warranty period, at no cost to TfL, or the fare or tax payer."

From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33569460):

Some commuters love the look of them, others hate the stifling heat on the top deck that is yet to be resolved.

Thus far, two trips on the NBfL (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Routemaster).

Both downstairs, and both stiflingly hot.

A taste of London in Reading

With special thanks to Transport for London and the manufacturer Wrightbus the stylish New Routemaster will be in service on the purple 17 route from August 17.  With its three doors for speed of entry we will have a dedicated crew for the bus, including a conductor to take fares when people board!