A London Red Elephant?

First Group has announced that it was successful in its tender to continue the operation of one of London's two Routemaster RM heritage bus services. It shouldn't be long, though, before First begins winning contracts requiring Routemaster2.0, the New Bus for London...

Coming from the provinces but living close enough to London to be familiar with the Routemaster, I remain unconvinced that the capital needs a bespoke new version of what I’m kindly referring to as a classic. Not that the new version bears much resemblance to the old. It might be a rear loader but not all the time. It’s almost as if the bus can’t quite make up its mind.

We have yet to see the final new RM design. Doubt if it will be like this, though

I know I will be open to challenge but I’ve never seen anything on the ground that proves beyond question that London’s needs are different to any other large urban area. And why, till 2005, should London continue using a 1950s design long abandoned in the regions and one with a serious inherent risk to boot.

I wouldn’t go as far as some in criticising the costs, though. £7.8mil is a lot of money but why shouldn’t we develop our buses of the future properly, to the point where we can be confident that the product meets its brief and is attractive to passengers? If only we spent proportionately half the amount of money per unit, as does the car industry, we’d have some significant results. The Ford Mondeo was one of the most closely vehicles to design and engineer, at over £4bil.

Is TfL optimistic when it says that the final cost per unit makes the new RM comparable to a ‘standard’ hybrid double deck? Time will surely tell. Does the eventual cost per bus depend on orders from elsewhere? And, as hybrid vehicles gain orders through the government’s green bus fund, will there be a widening gap between the RM and other designs?

It seems to me that the three main attributes of the new RM.

• A contemporary, eye-catching design.

It was only recently that commenters and I emphasised the importance of good design. I wasn’t alone in saying that passengers just get on with travelling, too busy to notice or fret about what the bus looks like. It’s still a box on wheels. Yet, I also felt there was a correlation between design and quality purchases. I have no doubt that Wrightbus, the chosen bodybuilder, will do a good job, but they already build good looking vehicles on service in London, as does ADL. And the Optare Olympus is starkly attractive from the front. Remember, too, that modern and quirky designs are the ones that date quickest. Look no further than the Ford Anglia, Ford Ka and many a Citroën.

• Environmentally friendly.

The RM doesn’t have the monopoly on environmental friendliness. Might it actually be better to refit a hybrid within each of the remaining Citaro artics?

• Built for London’s needs.

As I say, are London’s needs that super-special? If conductors are perceived as a good thing in improving the perception of a more secure passenger journey, why aren’t they being reintroduced in London, right now? And elsewhere? (Rhetorical questions).