New Routemaster

New Routemaster
A pair of New Routemaster buses operating route 24 at Hampstead Heath
Overview
Manufacturer	Wrightbus
Body and chassis
Doors	3 doors
Floor type	Low-floor
Powertrain
Engine	Cummins ISBe 4-cylinder, 4.5-litres, 185hp Euro V compliant
Capacity	80 (87 without wheelchair) (lower: 22 seats, 1 wheelchair space, 18 standing (25 standing without wheelchair); upper deck: 40 seats)
Transmission	Hybrid diesel-electric in series 75kWhLithium iron phosphate battery pack, Siemens ELFA2 electric traction motor
Dimensions
Length	11.23 m (36 ft 10 in)
Width	2.52 m (8 ft 3 in)
Height	4.39 m (14 ft 5 in)
Kerb weight	12.65 tonnes (12.45 long tons; 13.94 short tons)
Chronology

The New Routemaster, originally referred to as the New Bus for London and popularly known as the Boris Bus or Borismaster (a portmanteau of the name of the former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who drove their introduction, and that of the AEC Routemaster that they were designed to replace) is a hybrid diesel-electric double-decker bus operated in London. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, it is manufactured by Wrightbus, and is notable for featuring a "hop-on hop-off" rear open platform similar to the original Routemaster bus design but updated to meet requirements for modern buses to be fully accessible. The first bus entered service on 27 February 2012.

The original AEC Routemaster was a standard London bus type, with a rear open platform and crewed by both a driver and conductor. It was withdrawn from service (except for two ) at the end of 2005 by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, in favour of a fully accessible one-person-operated modern fleet, none of which featured a rear open platform. The withdrawal of the Routemaster became an issue of the 2008 London mayoral election, and Johnson was subsequently elected mayor, with one of his campaign pledges being to introduce a new Routemaster. Following an open design competition in 2008, Wrightbus was awarded the contract to build the bus at the end of 2009, and the final design was announced in May 2010.

The design for the new double-decker bus features three doors and two staircases to allow accessible boarding. Unlike the original AEC Routemaster, the new bus has a conventional full front end and a rear platform that can be closed when not needed, rather than the protruding, bonneted 'half cab' design and permanently open platform. The layout of the new bus allows it to be operated by one person at off-peak times. The cost of each bus will be £355,000 over the four year procurement period.