The Anonymous Widower

A New Bus For London

Last night, I went to a presentation by Stuart Wood of Heatherwick Studio at the London Transport Museum of the proposed New Bus for London.  Stuart is the lead designer, who is working in partnership with Wrightbus, who will actually be building the new buses.

A Routemaster, an RT and a New Bus for London

This picture shows the bus alongside two of its predecessors, the Routemaster and an RT. I probably travelled on more RTs, than any other bus, as I used the 29 or 29A to get to school for several years.

When I first saw pictures of the bus, I must admit I wasn’t sure that the three-door, two-staircase design would work. In fact, as the talk revealed, it is one of the design strengths as it enables all of the parts of the hybrid-drive system to be kept out of the useable space, with the battery and fuel tank under the front staircase, the engine/generator under the back one and the electric motors inside the rear wheel arches.

What did surprise me, was that some of the things, they’d have liked to have done, fell foul of the various regulations. For instance, they would have liked to have the handrails in bare metal, as on the original Routemaster, but regulations mean they must stand out, so that those with limited vision can see them.  In the end they used a light yellow-gold colour.

Rear Lower Deck Layout

This picture shows the handrails in the proposed layout at the back of the lower deck over the rear axle. Note the high seat backs in this picture on the back-to-back seats over the rear axle. One of the design ideas here was to create some slightly better seats and as there are two groups of four, they also have the advantage of being suitable for families or friends travelling together.

In fact the interior design can be described as quirky in some ways.

1. Both staircases are glazed, with the rear one being curved.  They are infinitely better than those on the French TGV Duplex trains, which are straight and dark.
2. I actually feel that for someone like me with a limited left hand, that I would use the rear staircase to ascend to the top deck, as this would mean I’ll be better balanced. I have climbed onto the top deck of a Routemaster since my stroke and found it not too difficult.
3. The design also incorporates a love-seat at the top of the rear staircase, just like the old RT did.  I can’t say, I’ve ever sat there on the top deck of a Routemaster, but did a lot on the old 29’s to and from school.
4. The rear downstairs seating as the picture showed is definitely quirky with high-backed seats and groups of four.  In a way the groups reminded me of how my mother would put me at the age of six on a 107 at Oakwood to go to my aunt’s for piano lessons, on the longitudinal seats of an RT. The conductor would look after you.  Although the buses may have conductors at times, these seats might well become family seats, for say father travelling with three or more children.
5. I said three or more children, but as the seats all over the bus, are of a bench design, three small ones could easily sit together.
6. I also think that those like me, wo do their shopping on the bus, will like the seating, as a bench design will allow you to share a bench with your shopping.  I do this regularly on a 56 or a 38 from the Angel, when I return from Waitrose, on the half-empty buses in mid-morning.

So have they designed a bus for all people?

1. It has a large capacity that will mean it should be a good commuter bus.
2. The large amounts of glass and good visibility might make it a sightseeing bus on central routes.
3. The layout is family friendly in my view.  For energy saving reasons we must get children to like public transport.
4. I do a lot of shopping on the bus. Does it fulfil that role?
5. The seating on the lower deck, might encourage people to use buses for longer distances. I used to go miles as a child on the 107 to visit relatives.  Now, there is no way other than to drive. But if the bus is comfortable, quiet and spaceous, would people be tempted to use it, in these times of high-energy costs?

Only time will tell if the concept works.  But I like it!

June 14, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Buses, Design, London, New Bus for London, Thomas Heatherwick