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Andy Rain / EPA, file
London's new bus is based on the iconic Routemaster. Each prototype cost about $2.25 million, compared to the $300,000 price tag for an ordinary double-decker.
LONDON – London's red double-decker buses are as globally recognizable as New York's yellow cabs, so there was dismay when the city's classic Routemaster vehicles were phased out six years ago.
This week's launch of a modern version of the bus – the first designed specifically for the U.K. capital since the original was introduced in the 1950s – has proven the double-decker is more than just a way of getting around.
The prototype features the same distinctive curves as its post-war predecessor, as well as the hop-on, hop-off rear platform used by impatient Londoners when stuck in traffic jams.
Its arrival fulfills an election promise made by Boris Johnson, the charmingly clownish mayor who believes public affection for the new Routemaster will restore some civic pride in a creaking and often-maligned transport system.
'Imagination'
The timing of the launch is no accident, five months ahead of the Olympic Games and 12 weeks before Johnson is up for re-election against an opponent who is making transport – in particular, inflation-busting fare increases – a big campaign issue.
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With a trademark rhetorical flourish, Johnson hailed the new bus at Monday’s unveiling as "a stunning piece of automotive architecture" representing "the very best in British design, engineering and manufacture" and "a demonstration of what can be done given imagination and determination".
Others see it as a vanity project for Johnson, a blustery Conservative whose mass cycle-rental scheme has earned the name "Boris Bikes."
Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images, file
London Mayor Boris Johnson sits in the driver's seat of one of the new prototype double-decker buses.
David Lammy, a Labour Party member of parliament, asked how the mayor could justify the "extraordinary" cost – equivalent to $2.25 million each – of the eight prototype vehicles. That compares to the $300,000 price tag for an ordinary, off-the-shelf double decker – although a major order would reduce the individual cost considerably.
Lammy noted that the new Routemaster also has less space than its more functional rivals and costs $36,000 per seat – the same price as a new 3-series BMW.
Indeed, the whole project has been likened to Concorde – the supersonic aircraft that inspired awe and became a symbol engineering achievement despite costing a fortune to produce and never achieving widespread commercial success.
But the bus has already been welcomed by cheering crowds on its first trips in passenger service on the high-frequency route 38 between Victoria railway station and the north-east borough of Hackney.
Newly-designed bus may have sleek curves, but at $36,000 per seat are they worth the price?
One blog review even reported onboard conversation between strangers – a concept so rare among taciturn Londoners that it seems almost to be discouraged. "Vanity project or no, the new bus is certainly a head-turner and a talking point," the Londonist concluded.
There are other advantages: its hybrid engine uses a mix of battery and diesel power, producing less than half the CO2 of its rivals.
"The green innards of this red bus mean that it is twice as fuel efficient as a diesel bus and the most environment-friendly of its kind," enthused Johnson.
Teething troubles
Anyone hoping to catch a ride could be in for a long wait: only one of the eight prototypes is yet in service, out of a total London-wide bus fleet of 8,000, and teething troubles have forced it off the road repeatedly. A msnbc.com reporter who tried to catch the bus on Thursday found a small expectant crowd waited for over an hour at Victoria only to discover the vehicle was at a depot undergoing "diagnostic tests" of its onboard computer.
There are also concerns that its three doors could make life easier for fare-evaders who fail to swipe their electronic Oyster travel passes to make payment.
But enthusiasm for city's new icon is infectious. "It is something everyone can enjoy," said retired aircraft designer Roy Spurgeon, who had traveled from the Surrey suburbs specially to see it. "It doesn't matter whether you are a small child or my age, there is always that little thrill you get from the front seat on the top deck."
The blogger Diamond Geezer said passengers seemed unconcerned about niggles such as cramped seats or noisy air-conditioning. "All they saw was a gorgeous modern vehicle with a human face, and a Routemaster-like rear platform for hopping off between stops, and a mayoral promise made instantly real," he wrote.
Follow Alastair Jamieson on Twitter: @alastairjam
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Leave a Comment:
Oh, they used to laugh at me
When I refused to ride
On all those double decker buses
Because there was no driver on the top.
I love that expression on Mayor Johnson's face XD...He's probably the best and most down to earth mayor of any major world centre.
I like the old ones better.
I do too. There are still a few of the older Routemasters in use for tourists interested in the history of London; " Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now passing the home of Chuck Dickens, and on your left is where the Iron Lady lived as a child.......
One would think, with all of the people coming there for the Olympics, that it would have been a bigger draw if they had reproduced their much older models such as the S-type, and the air cooled Regent.
Mayor Boris Johnson did not ask me for my advice.
This brings back some memories! Though I'm American my family lived in Reading, England when I was a kid. I went to a private school and rode the double decker bus every day! Love the new one! I'd like to take my kids over there and hope to do so one day soon.
2.25 million?
They're prototypes. Without a large order in place it would be foolish for any company to establish a production line to crank them out, meaning the labor costs skyrocket, no different than a prototype of any other complex machinery.
Political rivals always need something to crow about, that price would not be the standard price.
it cost's 2.25 mill because its a hybrid if they ordered 200 with diesel engines they would cost the same as any other bus
I love London; it's one of my family's favorite places on earth! I've travelled there over 20 times. I can't wait to ride the new buses!!!
2.25m for a bunch of sheet metal, cloth, wires, bulbs, tubing, rubber, glass..... what a f'n joke. Materials should not cost that much. It's robbery.
Unless you are an Englishman, you have no room to complain.
I can complain about wtf I want - and excuse me but what does that have to do with material cost? You completely missed the point about my post. I don't doubt the love the English have about this iconic bus...I doubt the cost it took to build one.
If I now may, go bugger off
it may seem like robbery...but that's just because they made only a few...increased production would solve that problem rather quickly
gee...who would have thought it possible...reduced O2 & it looks great !
just like the magnetic induction trains in Bordeau...very sleek... like a "James bond car" on tracks
transit is definately looking better & better each day !
with a little human ingenuity, we can all reduce dependency on oil & get our lives back !!!!
1 bus certainly cost more than 500, but the real value is in it uses electricity, less petroleum and pollutes less. This will be the future of most city transportation systems. Not necessarily of the English design which isn't for us but the propulsion and I always liked the jump on and off system but that would never work here. After one day of operation there would be 100 injury lawsuits.
"...it uses electricity, less petroleum and pollutes less..."
How is the electricity generated? London uses coal, gas, and oil.
Csphilli, you've no clue what youre talking about. Robbery? R&D applies to 1 bus? Come on, even the Discovery channel is more educating than that! IMO
CSPHILLI.....these materials didn't self assemble with a wave of the wand or at the behest of oden's magic underwear! Prototype L A B O R is exponentially higher than production labor & materials combined! What is bugger? Have a nice day!
with every car ever built the first one costs millions the rest cost the regular price the price to build tooling,molds,jigs,r&d,and legal services to get the rights to use patented parts and processes
You guys do not understand manufacturing. 2.25 million is manufacturing PLUS DEVELOPMENT COSTS spread among the 8 busses, once they start making them in mass, the per unit cost and the amortised cost spread among all the busses goes way down. This is why when they reduce the number of F-22s or F-35s the per unit costs go up.
If you dont understand what I just posted, then you really should not comment on the cost.
ScoManta:
You are correct.
All of us are ignorant in lot of things. We just think we are smart because we have all this technology that gives us data access to a lot of places - but with no physical expereiance to back any of it up. A lot of people seem to forget that manufacturing machines (Die presses, mills, etc.) cost money. Design of both the product and machines costs money. Engineering costs money. Safety testng and certification costs money. Distribution costs money. Labor costs money. But it is easy and "Free" to spout knee-jerk rubbish - which is worth "Blast all" as the English say.
If the people of London want the buses, then let them have the buses.
Sorry, you're wrong. R&D applies to the prototype, which is 1 bus. Manufacturring is what applies to the total production. But you're right on this: economies of scale impact total cost depending on how much you order.
All of it costs money. If you are all bent out of shape on the cost, then ask for their balance sheets. To develop the cost of a single US auto costs hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars - they try to recoup by sellling thousands and thousands of them.
Everybody however is ignoring one aspect this story doesn't address (but has been widely discussed in England) and certainly has an impact on cost: revenue.
The buses currently being used are often referred to as bendy-buses (articulated buses - simply google London bendy buses and you'll see them). For employment cost reasons there was never any London Transit employee in the second section. The regulations were that only ticketholders and monthly pass holder should ride the second section. Well we all know how well that honour system works. So there has been a huge amount of fare evasion going on.
Plus anyone who ever got stuck behind one of those bendy buses not being able to make a turn, will be forever thankful they'll be long gone.
Csphilli, YOU are wrong, take it from someone that doesn't just watch t.v. to get my half baked facts, R&D includes often dozens of prototypes. In this case 8, did you read that part? My company makes plugs for the FIBERGLASS, not sheet metal, bodies for these buses. Its been years of computer modeling, fabrication and testing to come up with these first buses. Anyone that thinks that this 1 bus costs 2.25 million dollars, clearly knows little if anything about product development. The R&D stage can last well into the production phase as production and manufacturing are tuned with EACH CONSECUTIVE BUS. So, before you go accusing someone of being wrong, know what you're talking about. IMO
I thought England was broke? How can they afford all of these new buses? And gas over there is a hell of alot higher than here.
Which is probably why they're bolstering their aging mass transit system with a hybrid version of an iconic symbol of England.
They might be newer but ya still have to pay for them, oil them and gas them up. Which isnt cheap over there. Christ, it wasnt long ago Engand was talking bankruptcy. Maybe they got a loan from China also.
I rode on many double deck buses, including the open top and they were pretty cool. I would love to go back to London for another visit as I did in 99. I didn't have enough time to tour it all.
There isn't a great deal of ground clearance...ahem.
I much prefer the old style. These new buses lack the charm and character. They look like they should have LEGO emblazoned on the bumper!
I'm happy for London.. Good for you
This article is pretty misleading tbh. Most of that money spent is accounted for in research and development. The big bus producers generally spend tens of millions on developing their products, so it isn't that surprising the prototypes cost so much. Once they start mass-producing them, they will cost roughly the same as a standard double decker, around about £300,000. They are a far superior bus as well - as they have double the fuel efficiency, have much better access (three doors, two sets of stairs), and have increased capacity.
If Los Angeles had any sense of community and appreciation for the benefits of a good public transportation system, I'd still live there.
If it isn't wheel chair accessible, will never work in USA.
It's a beauty Brits. Wish we had buses like that.
There is nothing else so London as:
Bobbies
London Cabs
and
Double Decker Buses
I think it's marvelous they have brought the double deckers back. I remember them as a kid growing up in London and they are definitely as recognizable in London as yellow cabs are to NY - great for tourism!
It all seems like a white elephant to me, much like Concord, which my British taxes helped to pay for at the time. I would like to know where they are being built and how much is being built by British workers, also how long the break even period is estimated at. Even at a lower price my guess is that each bus will be out of commission before the passenger revenue pays for them. Which means my taxes are again going on a dud.
Beemaw
If it isn't wheel chair accessible, will never work in USA.
Actually it is. There is an electronic extending ramp built under the center doors.
mayor made some good money behind the scenes ... good for him :)
I wonder if it's made in China?
Nice to see that it's not just the U.S. Government that wastes taxpayer money!
Obviously purchased from a weapons manufacturer.