This bus is running late

The arrival of the new 1 million Routemaster has been delayed for the second time.

A new version of the expensive three door bus, which was initially expected at the end of 2011, was rescheduled for yesterday but Transport for London declared the bus was not ready yet as a result of the certification process taking longer than anticipated.

In fact the new Routemaster is currently being tested on route 38 between Victoria station and Hackney, where the first of the buses will begin service on February 28.

Moreover the brand new vehicle will be on its own as the other seven prototypes won’t be on London roads until the summer.

Transport commissioner Peter Hendy declared that a week late after three and half years is pretty good as the original bus took twelve years from conception to service.

The new models have also attracted criticism as the absence of clippies could aid fare dodgers. 

However the Mayor of London pointed that the back doors will be open during the day and a conductor will be on board to invigilate passengers, to help and make sure people pay their fares. At night the rear doors will be kept closed and operated by the driver, preventing fare evaders to board without paying.