Wright New Bus for London

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New Bus for London
Arriva London LT535-a.jpg
Years of manufacture 2013 to present
Length 11 metres
Width 2520 millimetres

The New Bus for London is a double deck transit bus built by Wrightbus. Designed specifically for Transport for London, it is meant to be a contemporary replacement for the AEC Routemaster. Its styling calls upon that of the Routemaster, and it features an open platform at the rear that can be closed off. Unlike the Routemaster, the new bus is wheelchair accessible, has two other points of entry, has two staircases, and has a rear mounted diesel-electric hybrid powertrain.

History

While ruining for mayor of London, Boris Johnson proposed the development of a modern-day Routemaster design. He was elected in 2008 and launched a competition to design and develop such a bus. The competition was open to the industry as well as the public. There were two categories for entrants: Imagine and Design. The Design category outlined more specification and constrains, in addition to requiring the possibility of reaching production. The first prize in the Design category was shared by a joint entry from Aston Martin and Foster and Partners and an entry from Capoco Design.[1]

After tendering for a manufacturer, the contract to build 600 buses over three years was awarded to Wrightbus at the end of December 2009.[2] The other manufacturers who qualified for the contract included Alexander Dennis, EvoBus, Hispano, Optare, and Scania. Working with Heatherwick Studio, Wrightbus unveiled the final design on May 17, 2010 [3] followed by a mock-up in November of that year. An engineering prototype was shown to the media in May 2011.[4] The New Bus for London officially entered service on February 27, 2012 with Arriva London.

Specifications

Dimensions

  • Length: 11.23m
  • Width: 25.20m
  • Height: 4.39m

Engine

Electric motor

  • Siemens ELFA II

Energy storage

  • Valence Lithium-ion battery

Operators

England

References

  1. [1]
  2. Transport for London Wrightbus to design and build New Bus for London (press release). 23 December 2009. Retrieved 08 July 2013.
  3. London's 'new Routemaster' bus design unveiled. BBC News. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 08 July 2013.
  4. [2]