London's transport authorities have decided to sharply reduce the use of the classic London Routemaster bus. From March 2, the legendary open-back buses will operate only on weekends and holidays during the warm season, reports our own correspondent Travel.ru.
Their route will remain the same - the shortened 15 route from the Tower of London to Trafalgar Square. The authorities justified their decision by the desire to reduce costs: on weekdays, Routemaster buses run almost empty and bring significant losses. According to Transport for London, the operation of this route costs over a million pounds sterling a year. The authorities are also planning to make cuts on three dozen other routes passing through the center.
Transport fans and other admirers of English antiquity have criticised the decision, saying that the irregular use of Routemaster buses will lead to more frequent breakdowns and eventually the complete disappearance of these long-standing symbols of the city from the streets.
Routemasters have been operating in the British capital since the 1950s. They were removed from the streets in late 2005, but were later brought back on specially shortened versions of two routes in the centre (since 2014, only one remains – 15). In addition, some Routemasters operate on special tourist routes (for example, night tours of the city) – outside the usual London transport system.
A few years ago, the so-called new Routemaster was created, officially called the New Bus for London, and unofficially the Boris Bus, after the then mayor Boris Johnson. This bus is quite unusual in appearance and has some similarities with the old Routemaster - in particular, you can enter it through the rear doors (but unlike the old one, only at stops). The new Routemasters are quite comfortable and now make up a significant part of the fleet on central routes.
Source: travel.ru