Routemaster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was unveiled in 1954 and introduced in London on 8 February 1956. Production examples, at first to the 27'6" length then permitted, were placed in service from 1959 to replace trolleybuses, this process being completed in May 1962. Subsequent Routemasters, the last 500 of which were 30'-long RML types, began the process of replacing the previous generation of RT-type AEC Regent buses and their similar Leyland Titan RTL and RTW counterparts. The last Routemaster, RML 2760, was put into service in March 1968.
The design has proved very popular with Londoners and tourists alike. Its two main advantages are the open platform at the rear, and the presence of a conductor to collect fares, required by the isolated driver's cab.
The platform allows large volumes of passengers to alight and board quickly at stops, and indeed at traffic lights and slow speeds. The conductor collects fares when the bus is travelling, which considerably reduces waiting time at stops.
Many of London's bus routes switched to modern "one-person operation" (OPO) in the 1970s, out of a desire to reduce operating costs and address staff shortages. However, it has been found that the increased boarding time while each passenger pays the driver slows down busy routes, and leads to "bunching" of buses and poor service. In an attempt to solve this, in central London bus tickets are now bought from street-side machines before boarding. The Oyster card has also made an impact in this regard.
Withdrawal of Routemasters commenced in 1982 but were largely halted by 1988, with comparatively few withdrawn between then and 1992, when a programme was instituted to refurbish 500 of the RML type for ten years' further service. This work, which included updating the interior to modern tastes and re-engining, was carried out by Mainline, TBP and Leaside Buses, and was completed in 1994, in time for the privatisation of London Buses Limited's subsidiaries. This saw the Routemaster fleet divided between nine new companies.
In spite of an earlier public promise to retain the Routemaster, Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, later announced the phasing out of the type in order to provide a bus service in the Capital fully accessibile to wheelchair passengers. Government legislation requires full accessibility by 2017 under the Disability Discrimination Act. Withdrawals commenced on the dates below as the routes' five-year contracts expired.
- Route 15: 29 August 2003
- Route 11: 31 October 2003
- Route 23: 14 November 2003
- Route 94: 23 January 2004
- Route 6: 26 March 2004
- Route 98: 26 March 2004
- Route 8: 4 June 2004
- Route 7: 2 July 2004
- Route 137: 9 July 2004
- Route 9: 3 September 2004
- Route 390: 3 September 2004
- Route 73: 3 September 2004, replaced by bendy buses
- Route 12: 5 November 2004, replaced by bendy buses
- Route 36: 28 January 2005
- Route 19: 1 April 2005
- Route 14: 22 July 2005
- Route 22: 22 July 2005
- Route 13: 21 October 2005
- Route 38: 28 October 2005, replaced by bendy buses
Last days for Routemaster-operated routes confirmed as of 2005 are:
- Route 159: 9 December 2005
Two 'heritage' routes are to be introduced to keep the Routemaster alive in London, and are likely to be introduced before the last Routemasters run in normal service. On 9 September 2005, TfL announced that the contracts to run the routes as follows:
- Royal Albert Hall - Hyde Park Corner - Piccadilly Circus - Trafalgar Square - Strand - Aldwych (0930 - 1830, every 15 mins, mirroring part of existing route 9). To be operated by First Group under contract to TfL.
- Piccadilly Circus - Trafalgar Square - Strand - Aldwych - Fleet Street - Cannon Street - Monument - Tower Hill (0930 - 1830, every 15 mins, mirroring part of existing route 15). To be operated by Stagecoach under contract to TfL.
The two routes will use the most recently refurbished Routemaster vehicles and will accept standard Travelcards, Oystercards or cash fares.
For many people, Routemaster buses evoke nostalgic feelings, and the announcement spawned a campaign to save the bus. See also the television sitcom (later a film) On the Buses, although the buses depicted there, while rear-entrance double deckers, are not Routemasters.