New Routemaster London Bus

The Routemaster bus which was built between 1956 and 1968 has remained one of the identifiable symbols of London. So much so that klik2travel identified it as one of the key points of interest in London and produced a film about the iconic vehicle. Since we produced that short film there has been an exciting announcement about the new Routemaster bus which began their service on the 38 route between Hackney and Victoria Station today. The 62-seater buses incorporate the most innovative and cutting-edge hybrid technology and will be the most environmentally-friendly bus of its kind.

The Buses will have a driver and conductor and is twice as efficient as a standard diesel bus and the most eco-friendly of its kind. Read more about the 8 new buses.

For more on the history of the buses go to the wikipedia page on Routemasters.

The double-decker uses green technology to be 40% more efficient, it has two staircases and an open platform enabling people to "hop-on hop-off".

Warwickshire-based sports car maker Aston Martin, along with architects Foster and Partners, won the £25,000 prize jointly with Wiltshire bus maker Capoco Design.

The contract to build the new bus for London was awarded to Wrightbus in January 2010.

Photo Charlotte Gilhooly