New Bus for London

Have you noticed something new in the London townscape recently? The new Routemaster aka “New Bus for London” buses are here!


The design is inspired by the old Routemaster and the new buses are specially made for the London streets.
Prototype buses have been running on the route 38 between Victoria and Hackney since February 2012.
One day I talked with the Conductor in the rear of the bus and I discovered that all London buses will be converted to the new Routemasters. In peak hours and on the busiest routes, there will be a Conductor on board providing travel advice and supervising the safety of passengers. The coolest thing is that you are allowed to hop on or off at the rear platform when the bus has stopped for a red light or in heavy traffic.

The new environmentally friendly bus which runs on a hybrid diesel-electric motor has three sets of doors, each with Oyster card readers, making it easier to get on and off. Inside, there are two staircases, one near the front and one at the back, for easy access to and from the upper deck.

The New Bus for London currently operates on routes 9, 11, 24 and 38 and Route 390 will convert by the end of the year. By 2016 more than 600 new buses will run in London.

If you are interested in riding one of the original heritage Routemaster buses the numbers 9 and 15 still have some of them running during the daytime.


The aery interior of the New Bus for London is designed by Heatherwick Studio together with the manufacturer and is made in stylish scheme of colours and has a retro feel.


According to the Greater London Authority, the design of the buses is intended to aid speedier and smoother boarding.

Let us hope these buses will help to ease the congested London traffic!


Written by Marianne Sloth, Social Media and Website Manager at FOCUS.

For more information about Focus visit: www.focus-info.org