I just read on BBC that as of Dec 9th there will be no more "Routemaster" buses in operation? Does this me no more red double decker buses or are they just updating the line to something similar???

There will be red double-decker buses, they'll just be a more modern design. Too many people were getting killed by that platform on the back, and too much money was being spent carrying a conductor to take fares. The new models work the way we're used to in the US: present your ticket to the driver as you board.

<i>p.s.</i> To the London Fodorites: are those little conductor's ticket machines on the block as well? Where can I bid?

I thought I had read a few months ago that the old double decker buses would soon be a thing of the past.

Thanks!!!Not so sad now.

I think it's disgusting that they're going, despite a poll in which 87 per cent of disabled bus users said they wanted to see them stay. The new buses lack any aesthetic appeal, and the interiors are bland too. The Routemaster is an icon. But the new ones are still red!

There are Heritage routes planned so that Routemasters won't vanish entirely. I've seen them running from Piccadilly Circus to Hyde Park corner - a very short route that I'd always walk so this so called Heritage route is a waste of time.

Routemaster buses have been refurbished and have been running on the following two 'Heritage' routes since mid November. The number 15 runs from Trafalgar Square to Tower Hill via St Paul's and the 9 from the Royal Albert Hall to Aldwych via Piccadilly.
The last of the regular routes is the 159 which finishes this week. Modern buses that require you to pay the driver were gradually introduced from the late 1960's onwards, so there is nothing new about the concept really. They have been around for years alongside the Routemasters. These buses are also red double deckers. Single deck buses are also commonplace but the main point of debate is that the old Routemaster services have been replaced by new type articulated bendy-buses which haven't been popular with customers.

In a way, it's sad to see them go however they were dangerous especially considering modern traffic conditions and it's too easy to slip off and fall under the wheels or have somebody reach in and grab a pocket book and such an incident occurred about 5 years ago to a Scandanavian woman on her first day in London and she was killed.....

I'm afrad that sometimes safety concerns have to take precedence over tradition.

It's strange that you cite safety as a reason. On the old buses, there was conductor patrolling, so passengers always felt far safer. On the modern buses there have been a couple of incidents where passengers have been stabbed and killed on the top deck as no one else was around.

Also, having an open door provides a permanent escape route in emergency situations.

I agree with you, m_kingdom2

Perhaps the bendy bus is easier for people with pushchairs etc. but the conductor would always help.
You do feel safer with a conductor and it's nice to have somebody to help with things like which is the best stop for your destination. I'm sure that drivers appreciate having someone else on board.
As for the safety thing, let adults take risks if they want to.

My gripe of the week is that when there was a conductor on board you were not allowed to stand if there were seats empty - and you were sent upstairs if necessary. Nowadays so many people cluster immediately inside the door and block other people from getting on even when there's plenty of room for everybody. And there isn't a way of dealing with it that doesn't seem rude.

But I shan't miss the Routemasters. I never thought they were that wonderful to ride in - I can remember how jerky the automatic gear-change seemed even on early test runs before they were fully introduced.

I don't know...the conductor could be downstairs when an incident occurs on the upper deck so I don't think that's an issue...having a conductor to tell you where to get off is a good thing but you can do that with a driver also and I have seen people get on the bus and ask the driver where to get off for Trafalger Square and he tells them so I don't think that's a big deal.

You could put a conductor on the new buses too but that's a money issue and certainly I realize that.

I still think that for modern traffic conditions, the open platform type of bus represents a far greater danger than the issue of crime while on the bus.

But I agree, I don't particularly like the bendy buses either.....but the new double deckers, when you get right down to it, who cares. you still can go to the upper deck and sit in the front and get a great view of the city. I do that all the time when I have some free time and snap away with my camera to my heart's content.

As has been said the Routemaster will still have a place on these “heritage routes” but other than that they have gone the way of the tram, hansom cab, trolleybus, and so on.

Livingstone is trying to blame the disability lobby for their removal, but the truth is it’s cheaper to run one-man buses.

Robespierre: You can buy the “ker-ching!” type ticket machines at the London Transport Museum .

It could also be argued that since &quot;modern traffic conditions&quot; consist largely of total gridlock for three hours every morning and three hours every afternoon, the Routemaster doesn't lose points on that score. The danger of being hit by immobile vehicles is minimal.