Boris: Bendy buses will be gone from streets by 2015

The Mayor today hit back at critics of his plan to scrap bendy buses by vowing to implement a "timetable of doom" that will see the last one disappear from London's streets by 2015.

On a BBC Radio London phonein, Boris Johnson said the first bendy buses would be removed next year.

His pledge follows a warning by some London Assembly members that the change could lead to passengers facing more crowded and slower journeys, higher costs and increased carbon emissions.

Mr Johnson has already rejected such claims and said he was only staggering the abolition to ensure taxpayers were not "ripped off" by suppliers if replacement vehicles had to be ordered too quickly. "There is a timetable of doom up in my office," he added.

A consultation on bendy buses on three routes - the 38 from Victoria to Clapton, 507 from Victoria to Waterloo, and 521 from Waterloo to London Bridge - has begun and new vehicles are to be introduced on the routes.

The Mayor is expected to announce the winning design for a new generation of Routemaster buses in November.