Boris as loony as Ken? (new Routemaster contest)

Boris Johnson has launched a serious contest for a new Routemsaster bus design for London, which must have an open rear platform.
The good old Routemaster is a design classic that served London amazingly well for decades. I loved them when I lived in near London.

But bus design has moved on and it seems silly, and technically very difficult with current low-floor legislation, to achieve what Boris asks. A low-floor double-deck design with a rear entrance means the engine would probably have to be at the front, but there would be no room for a drive to the rear wheels inder the low floor. Front-wheel drive would add technical complexity to a bus.

One of the other big features of the ‘new Routemaster’ is that it should be operated by a crew. But there’s nothing stopping ordinary modern double-deckers being used with a conductor if need be.

The original Routemaster was designed partly by London Transport, and for use in London, where it was a great success. It was offered for sale on the open market outside London too, but only 50 were sold, all to Northern General bus company on Tyneside. The reason for the flop – too expensive.

Finally, the Routemaster was destined to mutate into a modern bus anyway. An FRM prototype was built, that still exists, with a rear engine and a front entrance ahead of the front wheels, like all modern double-deckers, but it used 60% normal RM parts, just rearranged. The project was abandoned on costs grounds.
FRM – see: http://www.busweb.co.uk/aecbus/pictures/frm1_eg_2006.jpg