Ask The Driver

In 2005, after years of phasing them out, the last Routemaster buses were taken off the streets of the capital – or so we thought. Just recently we had a switch in mayoral administration – oh, alright. London has a new mayor, one who is determined to phase Routemaster buses back in and get the new bendy buses out.

Just why Mayor Johnson favours the old over the new, is difficult to say. Sure there have been technical difficulties with the new buses but don’t these things get better over time? I can’t say whether or not the ‘bendy’ buses are redeemable. But even if they are a lost cause, this does not throw light on the Mayor’s penchant for the Routemaster. These vehicles were scuppered in 2005, in a blaze of publicity. Many a mike was held in front of an erstwhile driver, in a media bid for ‘reflections’.

Well, surprise, surprise! It wasn’t all tears of nostalgic regret. Many of the drivers questioned preferred to drive newer, more technically advanced vehicles. And that’s what’s been missing from Mayor Johnson’s campaign – a survey of what drivers want. The return of the Routemaster no doubt appeals to the nostalgic in many of us, satisfying our longing for the days of cloth caps and Ealing comedies. But how many of us will be driving the buses?

So I say to Mayor Johnson, before making any radical changes to our transport system, just go down to the bus stations and ask the driver.

Mary Phelan, Editor.