Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

London's Iconic Double-Decker Bus Gets a Green Makeover

by Ben Deitz on May 18, 2010 at 10:00 AM

london's new double-decker bus
The bright red, double-decker Routemaster bus has long been an iconic symbol of the city of London, and Londoners were introduced to a new generation of green Routemasters this week that hopes to retain the original's distinct charms.

Fast Company reports the original Routemaster was phased out of service in 2005, but London Mayor Boris Johnson pledged to bring in back. The sleekly redesigned bus features a hybrid engine that promises to be 40-percent more fuel efficient than the older diesel-powered models. Other major changes include enclosing the traditionally open platform at the bus's rear, as well as installing a continuous window along one of the bus's two staircases. Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's Transport Advisor, described the new bus in a promotional video by saying that its creators wanted it to be "inspiring...fun...to encompass everything that is great about traveling on an icon like the old Routemaster was." The buses will take to the streets in 2012, just in time to serve the mass of visitors for the Olympics. [From: Fast Company]


Tags: bus, england, green, greentech, hybrid, london, olympics, publictransportation, routemaster, routemaster bus, RoutemasterBus, top, transportation, uk

Comments

1

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular