THE Routemaster, the hop-on, hop-off double-deck bus, is to be saved on two routes linking some of London’s most famous landmarks.
About fifty of the forty-year-old buses will be retained to serve the two new “heritage routes” and a team of conductors will be recruited to check tickets and give information to tourists.
Routemasters, first introduced in 1954, are being phased out from the main London network by the end of the year. The last of the services is expected to be the 159, between Marble Arch and Streatham, which will convert to modern buses in December.
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, had promised to retain Routemasters across London. But he changed his mind because of the extra cost of running a bus with both a driver and a conductor.
Routemasters also have no wheelchair access and cannot take babies in prams.
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Only 153 remain in service on five routes compared with more than 500 two years ago.
Many have been replaced by bendy buses with three sets of doors that allow passengers to board far more quickly.
However, Mr Livingstone has conceded that the Routemaster symbolises London for many visitors and has decided to keep them to link tourist attractions.
The heritage routes are expected to start before the end of the year.
The first will be from Piccadilly Circus to Tower Hill and includes The Strand, Ludgate Hill and Cannon Street.
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The second will be from the Royal Albert Hall to Aldwych and includes Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square.
It is proposed that both routes will operate every 15 minutes, between about 9.30am and 6.30pm, seven days a week.
Transport for London (TfL) announced that existing travel cards would be valid on the two routes and that standard fares would be charged.
Yesterday private bus companies were invited to bid to run the routes under contract to TfL.
The Routemasters to be used date from between 1959 and 1965 but have been refurbished in the past few years to prolong their life and to make them conform to more recent emissions standards.
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Mike Weston, the operations director of London Buses, said: “By the end of the year every bus on the network will be wheelchair-accessible, which is a fantastic step forward for London.
“Routemasters can’t be part of an accessible network, but they have been a London icon for almost half a century, and the new heritage routes mean that there will still be an opportunity for Londoners and visitors to ride on a Routemaster.”
Of the remaining routes, the 14 and 22 will cease on July 22 and the 13 and 38 in October.