Earlier this week, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson revealed the new Routemaster bus design. They are expected to hit the streets of London in 2012. The new buses will carry 87 people, be 40% more fuel efficient, will have two staircases, the return of the onboard conductor and an open platform allowing people to ‘hop-on-hop off’.

The original Routemasters were withdrawn from service in late 2005 but are still used on two heritage routes. When I have time I usually take Route 15 from Trafalgar Square to Tower Hill. A scenic route.

There are several opinions on the new design. If I was not in a rush and the traffic was good, I preferred taking the bus, as opposed to the Tube. You got to see more of the city. When I was backpacking, I would hop on a random bus, try and get lost and work out how to bet back home. When I was working in London, I would get the bus in the morning and walk home in the afternoon. This new design looks interesting. Jonathan Glancey, the architecture and design correspondent from The Guardian gives a good overview of the new design.

Photo: BBC News: An artist’s impression of the new design.