The Routemaster bus became London Transport's most famous and best-loved bus design. It was launched in 1959 and eventually withdrawn in 2005. Its longevity was one reason why the Routemaster became a style icon, recognised the world over as a symbol of London. Taking a ride on the top deck of a Routemaster was a quintessentially 'London' thing to do for Londoner and tourist alike.
In the late 1940s, London Transport (L.T) needed a high-capacity bus, with room for 70 people. This was seen as an excellent way of reducing L.T's operation costs in the austere years following the Second World War, and of developing a more efficient diesel bus to replace London’s electric trolleybuses.
A A M Durrant, the Chief Mechanical Engineer (Road Services) for London Transport between 1945 and 1965, recalled how he approached the design for the Routemaster. 'The first thing to do … was to make a complete reappraisal of the operating requirements, and we asked the Operating Managers to try and erase from their minds all the past features they had specified, to think out their requirements from rock bottom and ignore for the time being any restrictions that hitherto might have had an influence upon them, such as Ministry regulations, the aim being to get down to the ideal bus from their point of view'.
The first prototype built in 1954 took to the roads in 1956. L.T. ordered 800 Routemasters that year. The first production model was ready in 1958, and delivery started in 1959. It was built by Associated Equipment Company (A.E.C) and Park Royal Vehicles.
Douglas Scott, a freelance industrial designer who had previously worked on the R.F-type, designed the Routemaster. He designed the elegant full-width bonnet that hid the radiator and the red tartan moquette seat covers. The ceiling was painted Sung yellow, supposedly to help disguise the cigarette stains on the top deck. Passengers were allowed to smoke upstairs until smoking was banned on buses on 14 February 1991.
In spite of the Routemaster's traditional appearance, which was similar to that of older L.T. buses, it had radical design improvements. The Routemaster could seat 64 passengers as opposed to the R.T. bus's 56. The Routemaster gained 14% more seating in a 5% longer bus, but weighed the same as its predecessor.
It did not have a separate chassis, but was made of a light aluminium shell. This important innovation was borrowed from trolleybuses and developed from experience in wartime aircraft production. This made fuel consumption more economical: the Routemaster could run for 8 miles on a gallon (4.5 litres) of petrol. The lightness of the bus and the greater number of seats improved the bus's economic efficiency. A larger version, the R.M.L, took seating capacity up to 72 seats.
The Routemaster had a rear entrance with a front engine. The rear entrances were popular with passengers, as they could hop on and off easily between stops. This was seen as a Londoner's prerogative and essential in a busy urban metropolis. The presence of a conductor made people feel safer and allowed the bus to proceed without having to wait for the driver to take the fares.
The Routemaster had better suspension than the R.T. bus, making it more comfortable to ride in. L.T. was trying to make its new bus as comfortable as private cars, to help persuade people to keep riding the buses.
A Green Line coach version of the Routemaster was also developed, called the R.M.C. series. In 1962, 68 of these were built. They were used for fast running over longer journeys out to country towns, and were more luxurious. They had air operated rear doors and fewer and more comfortable seats. They also had luggage racks above the seats.
By 1965 when L.T. switched to the 30-foot (9.14-metre) R.M.L-type, 2,115 R.M. (Routemaster) buses and 68 R.M.C.s had been built. In all, 2,756 Routemaster buses were built. These R.M.C buses were transferred to London Country Bus services in 1970, but they returned to London Transport in the mid-1970s.
The Routemaster was a reliable and durable bus but, in spite of its success, production stopped in 1968. The government insisted that to be eligible for a grant to purchase new buses, L.T. must buy standard 'off the peg' front-entrance designs which were suitable for one-person-operation. A specially designed London bus was considered an extravagance. Ironically, the next generation of buses, which had not been designed to withstand London's tough operating conditions, was not reliable enough to succeed the Routemaster. The R.M. outlasted its intended replacement by many years.
Some Routemasters served Londoners 6 days a week and were over 40 years old when they were taken out of regular service on 9 December 2005. They were replaced by accessible low-floor buses. Two short 'heritage' routes using refurbished Routemasters have been retained. On the Routemaster’s last day, many Londoners lined the route 159 from Marble Arch to Brixton to catch a last glimpse of a Routemaster in regular service.
