Jump to content

Recommended Posts

New Routmaster


Each Bus costs ?1.4M ( Regular Double Decker ?190,000 )


?1,400,000


1 Oyster ticket ride = ?1.3p


?1,400,000 = 1,076,923 rides.


2,950 rides a day every day for 1 year


295 rides a day every day for 10 years


and that does not pay for Fuel and Maintenance, Insurance tax, Driver & Conductor pay.


Does this make commercial sence.


Fox.

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/22195-the-new-routemaster/
Share on other sites

No sense whatsoever. It's a Boris vanity project.


The January 2012 Finance Committee papers note that final cost is expected to be ?11.065m, so with only nine on order the economy of scale is terrible and the revenue they pull in will be lower than that on normal double deckers due to increased fare evasion.


The delivery is running late, but the first two have been rushed into service because Boris isn't allowed to use them for political capital after 20 March for purdah reasons associated with May's election, so he's trying to make the best of it now.

We all remember the old routemasters and previous buses.


People have always evaded fares on those buses.


Often conductors did not bother collecting fares especially at the end of their shifts.

ATT that was mainly due to them counting up their takings to save time when they got back to the garage.


Do not know if the new buses are Oyster only or conductors will collect money.


Fox.

Saw one today at Victoria when I nipped out for lunch. I like it. I loved the old Routemaster for making London feel more special and unlike every other double-decker city in the world. I like this one for the same reason. It's still more or less a prototype so until we've got a sense of how many may be ordered so that the R&D costs can be offset and economies of scale reached, I don't think it's entirely fair to dismiss it out of hand for being a vanity project. However, if it does turn out to be a reliability, accident prone lemon and no more ever get ordered, then we may very well call it so in the future. I hope not though since it would be a pity that nothing else would every get through that would make London feel like a city where it's still possible to make obvious things like buses feel a little bit special.

I do like a new 'un-bendy' Bus


http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/images/uploaded/newbus_01.jpg

http://www.thetoyshop.com/media/toyshop/products/Bandai/Power%20Rangers%20Samurai/Main/Power-Rangers-Samurai-10cm-Figure---Red-Ranger-m.jpgThough it all looks a bit "Power Rangers" to me.

Funnily enough the old Routemaster was almost redudant the day it went into production. They had to stretch the original version and then when single operator buses came on the scene it appeared uncompetitive. They were phasing them out forty years before they actually ended, but I believe that their reliability and simplicity were their saving grace. From a time when bus operators manufactured their own vehciles. Now seems bizarre.


They were responsible for a disproportionate amount of pollution.


So Boris, for a clever bloke who plays the fool to his own advantage this self-indulgant pro-Daily Mail nonsense is so shallow,and just stinks of the poularist interventionist nonsense that is flavour of the day. 2 weekly bin collection out in the shires? Duh duh goes the game buzzer, central government must intervene. A free for all for the last Olympics tickets - a pain but relatively fair. Duh duh goes the game buzzer, we must give it to those poor souls who were unsuccessful in not one but two attempts, whether they went for one ticket or a 1000, central government must intevene.


I think I may have digressed a little. Clearly I am still angry at the toffs who could have spoiled Friday night at the Goose.

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's a reaction to the tabloidesque hatred of

> bendy buses. Complete unnecessary waste of cash.

>

> Will be cool though.

>

> May eat in to the ?300m profit that TFL are

> apparently making (can someone explain why fares

> need to go up when they are making such q big

> profit?).


It won't eat into any of their profit. Cost will be passed on to the passengers. The right of companies to profit out of the provision of public services must and will be protected at all cost.

This assumes that they will only be bought by London bus operators.


As this bus must be the first bus produced with an eye to its aethetics, if it is reliable and cost effective to run, then it should sell well across the Globe.


All new vehicles cost alot to develop. Few of them provide an opportunity to grind political axes.

This is of course the argument given to justify the astronomic costs.

Last I heard (or watched on inside london or whatever it's called) interest was next to nowt.


Agreed they are pretty though.

It does rather seem to be the job of government these days to piss good cash up the wall for the 'big idea'.


At least the bus is a great deal cheaper than the Olympics, or millennium tent, or NHS IT, or Aircraftless carriers, or Eurofighter or........(ad nauseum)

It's unlikely to sell well across the globe.


To start with, there aren't that many places that use double deckers and critically very few of these places are right hand drive. This is critical because the bus is asymmetric with the open platform and staircase layout at the back dictating the engine location on the right. The result is it is very difficult and expensive to convert to left hand drive operation with the doors on the right compared to its competitors.

I reckon Ireland would be the best bet EP, but they have a history of ordering from (successful) UK manufacturers that provide cheaper and greener buses than the new Routemaster.


I can't see the Japanese ordering UK manufacturered buses and India don't use double deckers widely. Hong Kong and Singapore might I suppose, but again if they can get cheaper, greener buses elsewhere it will need some selling to them.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • The issue must be everywhere at the moment. I was visiting a friend last week in Bermondsey, think we were walking  down Linton Rd & we dodged 7 dog poos. It was disgusting. 
    • Thanks for your message — I actually took the time to look into what CityHive does before posting my original comment, and I’d encourage anyone with questions to do the same. Yes, the Companies House filings are overdue — but from what I’ve gathered, this seems likely to be an accountant or admin issue, not some sign of ill intent. A lot of small, community-based organisations face challenges keeping up with formalities, especially when they’re focused on immediate needs like food distribution. Let’s not forget CityHive is a not-for-profit, volunteer-powered CIC — not a corporate machine. As for the directors, people stepping down or being replaced is often about capacity or commitment — which is completely normal in the voluntary and community sector. New directors are sometimes appointed when others can no longer give the time. It doesn’t automatically mean bad governance — it just means people’s circumstances change. CityHive’s actual work speaks volumes. They buy most of the food they distribute — fresh produce, essential groceries, and shelf-stable items — and then deliver it to food banks, soup kitchens, and community projects across London. The food doesn’t stay with CityHive — it goes out to local food hubs, and from there, directly to people who need it most. And while yes, there may be a few paid staff handling logistics or admin, there’s a huge volunteer effort behind the scenes that often goes unseen. Regular people giving their time to drive vans, sort donations, load pallets, pack food parcels — that’s what keeps things running. And when people don’t volunteer? Those same tasks still need to be done — which means they have to be paid for. Otherwise, the whole thing grinds to a halt. As the need grows, organisations like CityHive will inevitably need more support — both in people and funding. But the bigger issue here isn’t one small CIC trying to make ends meet. The real issue is the society we live in — and a government that isn’t playing its part in eradicating poverty. If it were, organisations like CityHive, The Felix Project, City Harvest, FareShare, and the Trussell Trust wouldn’t need to exist, let alone be thriving. They thrive because the need is growing. That’s not a reflection on them — it’s a reflection on a broken system that allows people to go hungry in one of the richest cities in the world. If you're in doubt about what they’re doing, go check their Instagram: @cityhivemedia. You’ll see the real organisations and people receiving food, sharing thanks, and showing how far the impact reaches. Even Southwark Foodbank has received food from CityHive — that alone should speak volumes. So again — how does any of this harm you personally? Why spend time trying to discredit a group trying to support those who are falling through the cracks? We need more people lifting others up — not adding weight to those already carrying the load.
    • Well, this is very disappointing. Malabar Feast  has changed its menu again. The delicious fish curry with sea bass no longer exists. There is now a fish dish with raw mango, which doesn't appeal. I had dal and spinach instead, which was bland (which I suppose I could/should have predicted). One of my visitors had a "vegetable Biriani" which contained hardly any vegetables. Along with it came two extremely tiny pieces of poppadom in a large paper bag.   This was embarrassing, as I had been singing Malabar's praises and recommending we ordered from there. The other mains and the parathas were OK, but I doubt we will be ordering from there again. My granddaughters wisely opted for Yard Sale pizzas, which were fine. Has anybody else had a similar recent poor (or indeed good!)  experience at Malabar Feast?
    • Another recommendation for Silvano. I echo everything the above post states. I passed first time this week with 3 minors despite not starting to learn until my mid-30s. Given the costs for lessons I have heard, he's also excellent value.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...