'Green' Routemasters plan unveiled

Last Modified: 19 Dec 2007
Source: PA News

Plans which could see the much-loved jump-on jump-off double-decker Routemaster bus return to regular service have been outlined.

Designs for a new-generation eco-friendly driver-and-conductor Routemaster were put forward by Autocar magazine.

The new bus, which would be emission-free and have a hydrogen-fuelled engine, was backed by Henley Conservative MP Boris Johnson, who is the Tory candidate for London Mayor.

But Transport for London (TfL) said the plans failed to answer the problems of safety and accessibility that led to Routemasters being phased out in December 2005.

Autocar approached UK bus designer Capoco to come up with a design for a new Routemaster.

Electric motors drive the bus, which has been codenamed RMXL. The motors are powered by battery packs charged by a hydrogen-fuelled engine and generator.

The bus would carry 48 people on the upper deck and 28 on the lower. There would be a ramp for pushchair and wheelchair access.

The vehicle would be built from lightweight materials and would be lighter, cleaner and quieter than the existing ultra-long bendy buses.

TfL said the plans "fail to answer the fundamental problems around safety, accessibility and capacity that led us to phase out the original Routemaster".

Mike Weston, London Buses director of operations, said conductors would have to be re-introduced at a cost of £600 million per year and that the costs of a new design would be onerous.

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