Rupert Candy wrote:
I'm quite surprised nobody's commented on this yet!

Not only is there a whole new section of the TfL site devoted to it
(http://tinyurl.com/5euecn), they've even produced detailed
specifications for the 'serious' competition in proper house style.
These look very businesslike and impressive, with the occasional bit
of humour (Articulated design: No. Doors/Apertures: 1 open platform at
nearside). It's at http://tinyurl.com/6gnvpt if anyone's interested.

I know Autocar magazine sponsored a design company (Capoco?) to come
up with a New Routemaster concept a while back - I wonder if they will
enter it. Otherwise, I can't see any of the bus builders taking this
as anything other than the humorous whim of a bored politician...

Bored? It's the only transport policy he's shown any interest in (I'm
including the extra security on buses and tubes as a crime policy here).
He's deadly serious, although buried yesterday was some sort of
announcement that the first three bendy lines will go double-deck next
year on contract re-award (the 38 was mentioned, anyone know the other
two? Six lines have contracts expiring in 2009; 12, 25, 38, 73, 507,
521 - I'd like to see them try and operate the last two as single door
entry double deckers).

However, if the bendies do go at contract re-award it means the 436 and
453 will still be bendy under the current contracts in 2013, having only
just been awarded this year.

The Autocar proposal was about the same size as a normal double-decker
but with a longer wheelbase, which presumably means it's actually *less*
maneouvrable. I'm not sure how serious it was meant to be, and in any
case it was hideous.

I still think it's a total waste of everyone's time though - far more
important things to do; where's ELLX Phase 2 then?

Tom