The New Routemaster, originally referred to as the New Bus for London and colloquially as the Borismaster or Boris Bus, is a low-floor diesel double-decker bus operated in London, England. Designed by Heatherwick Studio and manufactured by Wrightbus, it is notable for featuring a "hop-on hop-off" rear open platform similar to the original Routemaster bus design but updated to meet requirements for modern buses to be fully accessible. It first entered service in February 2012 with Arriva London on London Buses route 38.
Metroline New Routemaster on route 9 at Kensington High Street in April 2024
Passengers alighting from the rear platform in 2012
Curved rear as inspired by AEC Routemaster
Boris Johnson with a model of an original AEC Routemaster bearing a political slogan during his 2008 London mayoral campaign
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sight-seeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They appear in many places around the world but are presently most commonly used as mass transport in cities of Britain and Ireland, in Hong Kong, and in Singapore.
A New Routemaster bus operating in London
A typical double-decker bus used for urban mass transport
Double-decker coach bus, used for long-distance travel
Open-top double-decker, used for tourist sightseeing