London’s New Routemaster

British transport chiefs have announced the design of the new double-decker buses which were inspired by the decommissioned Routemaster buses. With its rounded corners and hop-on hop-off-door, Routemasters became a British icon over the 50 years of service it gave after its launch in the 1950s.

The New Bus will launch in 210 and has been designed to create an icon using green technology. The bus features:

• Extensive use of glass to highlight key features and produce a light and airy feel inside the bus
• A glass ‘swoop’ at the rear and offside to pick out the two staircases
• An open platform at the rear, shared with the Routemaster of old, which can be closed off at quiet times and which allows the reinstatement of a hop-on hop-off service
• Three doors and two staircases for smoother, speedier boarding and access to the upper deck.

The and will use the latest green technology when it launches in 2012.

London.gov