Route 453 - Boris Buses Are Coming!

Sunday 28 September

Since up to LT272 were delivered in June, no more NBfLs have arrived in London.

The next type conversion is London General route 453 (to be all one person operated) and, after two target dates have been missed, is now likely to begin from 18th October.

After that, it is Arriva 137 (to be with Customer Assistants) with conversion likely to be under way in mid-to-late November.

Around 50 to 60 new Euro-VI LTs have been built (numbers as high as the 32*, 33* and 34* range have been noted) and these have been stored up to now in Northern Ireland. We understand that some of the London General buses are now imminent for delivery.

I see no reason to cheer even more of Boris's over priced, vanity buses hitting the road. All they do is put pressure on TFL to raise fares to pay for them.

These busses have been specifically designed to resemble the Routemaster, with the open back. I don't understand why they are now not used as such. Indeed a waste of money, we could have sticked to the older model.

the man in the green suit wrote:

Sunday 28 September
...
The next type conversion is London General route 453 (to be all one person operated)
...

Does anyone know the criteria for two man operation? As far as I can tell, the routes that stay on the other side of the river get open deck service, but the transpontine routes (148 and, apparently, 453) don't.

Rambling Phil wrote:

[Does anyone know the criteria for two man operation?

probably Boris going areas or not. ;-)

Probably simply because they move a lot faster in south London than congested north :-)

I know they cost a bomb, but every time I see one of these buses I can't help but smile: I am utterly charmed by their sleek design that nods to the venerable Routemasters.

I do not see them as a waste of money and consider them as a successful attempt to update an iconic symbol of London: a distinctive double decker with all the curves in the right place.

The last Routemaster was delivered in 1968, yet that model was instrumental in making the 'Red Bus' one of London's most recognizable icons, and it saw regular service for 37 years (none of the buses that immediately replaced it were able to match such longevity).

The "Boris Bus" does justice to the design principles that make for an icon in the same way as the Routemaster.

Personally, I would like to see all 673 London Bus lines adopting this vehicle, and would also like to see them keeping the rear door permanently open.

So does this now mean that the 453 will once again become the 'free' bus, as people can get on and off these buses without paying - just like the old bendy buses that used to ply this route?

Dave66 wrote:

So does this now mean that the 453 will once again become the 'free' bus, as people can get on and off these buses without paying - just like the old bendy buses that used to ply this route?

I would like to also see a return of the conductors on our buses: passengers would touch-in onto a device carried by them.

It would also create more jobs.



I remember that when the Nº12 still was still served by Routmasters there used to be a very funny and charming conductor who would sing, make jokes and point out landmarks to the tourists: more of that, please.