My wife and I happened to be on vacation in London on the last day of the Routemasters on Route 38, so we rode one of the buses from the beginning of the line in downtown London to the end of the line out in the suburbs. We were amazed by all of the bus fans who turned out for the event, not only riding the buses but taking pictures all along the route. The Routemaster is, in most people’s minds, the classic London bus, so it was easy to understand the nostalgia. The bus we rode had fabric seats with an interesting pattern (custom-made for London Transport, we later learned) and windows that cranked up and down like car windows. The open platform in the rear has the same sort of appeal as the San Francisco cable cars, allowing the more daring passengers to hang on to a pole as the bus rumbles down the street.

The main problem with the high-floor Routemasters is that they are not wheelchair-accessible, which is why they were all withdrawn from regular service in 2005. Other reasons cited for the withdrawal are that they require more expensive operation with a conductor (because there is no front door, the driver is not in a position to conduct fares) and that the open rear platform is a liability issue. However, London Transport has retained two short tourist-oriented “heritage” lines that operate with Routemasters, so it is still possible to experience a nostalgic bit of transportation history in action.

Also, I thought the double deckers in the UK were being phased out. There was something in the press a few months ago about it.