As I said in my
previous article, the £302.5 million Wrightbus New Routemaster buses are to
have new window openings installed at the cost of £2 million due to TFL having
had 4 years of complaints and scrutiny over ventilation and air cooling issues.
From
LOTS news:
“Following
four years of passenger complaints,
all LTs in current service are to be fitted with some opening windows, six on upper deck, two on lower
deck. The retro-fit programme should be completed by Summer 2016. Meanwhile, those still to be built will be
fitted from new, although the breakpoint in fleet numbering is not yet known.
Production of the last 200 LTs is now due to be complete by the end of July
2016 rather than April as was initially stated.”
So this will mean the
route conversions will be delayed and some of the New Routemaster buses may be
withdrawn in order to fit new window openings to the buses. Hence the reason
why the remaining route conversions are taking so long. We are still expecting
to see Routes 16, 149, 159 & 91 converting to New Routemasters.
The correction should
have been done way back in 2012 when the 8 prototypes were in service on Route
38. Then there wouldn’t have been so many complaints as the existing fleet of
New Routemasters would have had window openings for ventilation.
Compare this to the
more 'futuristic looking' Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC which has a
minimal amount of window openings because it has an air cooling system which
keeps the interior temperature to a circa of 17-18C. I have video footage of
the Enviro400 MMC in action on route 498 which you can see here.
History repeats itself
with the AEC Routemaster project
Way back in 1966, the
rare 'rear engine' Front door Routemaster (FRM1), the only prototype built was
built with no window openings because AEC wanted to experiment with the air
cooling system from the front vents in an attempt to reduce the overheating
problems.
The incident with the
FRM happened on August 31st 1967 where oil from the leaking flywheel caught
fire whilst it was in service in the City. Luckily no one was hurt as the bus
was filled with black smoke which resulted in firemen having to smash the
un-openable windows to let people escape. The following month during its
repairs in Chiswick, it was fitted with window openings. The FRM1 is currently
preserved at Acton Depot. If you want to read more about the Front Door
Routemaster, you can read it here.
As time progresses we
are seeing new bus types, the new Wrightbus Gemini 3 for example has a feature
design based on the NRM which is the glazed staircase; Lothian Buses
currently operates their new bus type incorporating that design.
I am really excited at
the prospect of the Alexander Dennis
Enviro400 City which also has features based on the New Routemaster, such
as the glazed staircase. The bus will be unveiled at Coach & Bus, live at the NEC on 30th September and has also
been ordered by Arriva London for their new contract on Route 78 (which goes
from Shoreditch to Nunhead via Tower Bridge) which will commence service on 14th November 2015.
What I enjoy about my
website is documenting history by collecting and gathering information together
and publishing articles here. The main thing I want to do here is to show the
world the news about the London Transport system, and also other other systems
from around Britain and the wider world. I've been a fan of London Transport
since my childhood (back in the 1990’s) and I still remember seeing ‘non red’
London Buses as different private bus operating companies had the right to
their own livery which matched their company brand. For example, Capital Citybus operated buses in London
with their yellow livery. I have fond memories of those years and I think it’s
a shame that all London Buses have to be 100% red now for operational purposes
and in order for people in London to know it’s a London Bus Service.
What
will the future hold for London Buses?
Well personally, I'd
like to see a switch of orders from the New Routemaster buses to more zero emission electric buses because the
emissions from diesel engines are contributing to climate change and pollution
which are serious issues that everyone needs to help combat. As the years pass
we see new people running London Transport which means new plans, events and
operational changes. I do not oppose the Wrightbus New Routemaster, it is part
of London Transport’s history and at least we've seen loads of new innovations
because of evolving technology. The New Routemaster is simply a 3 door and 2
staircase hybrid bus.
Don't
forget to follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Google Plus which is @CLondoner92
My previous New
Routemaster articles: