Routemaster's last hurrah

Routemaster buses have less than six months left in normal service.

The iconic double deckers, with their conductors and distinctive hop-on, hop-off open rear decks, will make their final journey on 9 December.

Transport for London has announced the dates on which the 50-year-old buses will be withdrawn from their five remaining routes, in the culmination of Mayor Ken Livingstone's plan to replace the Routemasters with a more accessible fleet.

In the last election the Mayor pledged to bring back conductors on London's buses, and he has also spent millions buying back old Routemasters and fitting them with new interiors and engines so they meet emission control levels.

In 2001 Mr Livingstone said that "only some ghastly dehumanised moron would want to get rid of the Routemasters", but now only 153 of them remain in operation - down from more than 500 operating on 20 different routes two years ago.

Routemasters are adored by enthusiasts and also by many passengers, as they have more seats and far better ventilation than their modern substitutes.

They will be replaced by lowfloor double deckers on routes 14 and 22, both of which run between Putney and the West End, on 22 July. The No 13, which runs between Golders Green and Aldwych, will follow suit on 21 October, with the 38 switching to the controversial 18-metre-long bendy buses a week later on the route from Clapton to Victoria station.

London's last Routemaster will be used to operate the 159 between Marble Arch and Streatham. It will make its final journey on 9 December.

Last month Mr Livingstone promised to introduce two "heritage-routes" in central London using the vintage vehicles, shadowing existing routes and adopting the same fare structure as network buses.

However, the idea has been met with scepticism by bus enthusiasts, who say that launching such a service after the summer tourist peak has passed ensures it will fail before it has a chance to become established.