Routemaster Crazy

The world has gone Routemaster crazy. Never before have there been so many blog posts on buses. You’d expect a reaction from enthusiasts but who’d’ve thought that this ordinary Clapham omnibus would’ve engendered such enthusiasm from the general public? Here is a selection of quotes from ordinary people in the last 48 hours, mainly from blogs:

"After half a century, London's red Routemaster buses are rattling into retirement".

The Routemaster is "trundling into retirement after half a century of rickety but reliable service."

"I'm really going to miss running for the good ol' 137 halfway between stops and jumping on the back, trudging up the narrow spiral staircase to the top deck with its shiny steel bars and proper roll-down windows".

"Danger to and limb life [on leaving the platform while the vehicle is moving] is one of the great joys of Routemaster travel. Nobody is forced to leap while the bus is moving, but anyone can choose to. It's fun."

Of bendy buses, "Another helpful intervention from the corks-on-forks league".

The RM is "a classic of British engineering ingenuity, it is a true transport of delight."

"It will take some of the colour and nostalgia from the vibrant city."

"Is nothing sacred?"

"Would Londoners consider tearing down Buckingham Palace to replace it with a modern glass building?"

All that are left are "cr*ppy heritage routes, which don't go anywhere a Londoner would need to go."

"Despite some re-fitting, they were old… noisy, polluting - and at least some had serious transmission problems."

"It’s hard, to say the least, to imagine Londoners learning to love the bendy bus with anything like the affection the Routemaster inspires."

The RMs were "narrower, lighter, faster, cleaner and cheaper to run than these horrid new red clunks which actually hold traffic up."

Of bendy buses, "There are less seats so you have to stand. They look a bit plastic and have nowhere near the level of character as their predecessors. Maybe I'm just sentimental but it does seem a shame..."

"I will always remembered its engine noise, its smell, its arrow interior and how sweaty you are when travel in Summer."

"Tout le monde veut voir les vieux bus, c'est une nouvelle génération, tout est différent de nos jours".