Routemaster numbers to fall below 200

The number of old- fashioned Routemaster buses on London's streets will tomorrow fall below 200 for the first time in more than half a century.

Transport for London is replacing the classic open-back double-deckers with 18-metre bendy buses on route 12, leaving Routemasters running on only seven routes.

They will be removed entirely from normal service by the end of 2005 as part of Mayor Ken Livingstone's drive to have all buses fully accessible to wheelchair users in advance of European legislation.

TfL will also shorten the 12 route with the introduction of the £200,000 bendy buses. Running 24 hours a day from Dulwich, they will now terminate at Oxford Circus rather than running through to Notting Hill Gate.

But the 390 will be extended from Marble Arch to Notting Hill to provide an alternative to passengers. Services on the 148, which also runs along Bayswater Road, will also be increased. The decision to phase out Routemasters has been far more controversial than transport planners anticipated.

They underestimated the strong sentimental attachment felt by passengers and tourists alike to an iconic design which has become regarded as a London landmark.

Six of the 12 main London tourist guides feature a Routemaster on their covers - including the Time Out guide, the Amazon UK bestseller.

Ben Brook, of the Save The Routemaster campaign, said the appeal of the bus over its newer replacements was its "classic design".