The Fake New Routemaster You've Never Heard Of* 

Fun fact: these buses were actually intended to compete with the Enviro 400 City and be sold outside of London! But I guess the design was just too impractical in comparison.

Never knew there were only 6 in service. This bus is really common for me as it’s on the H12, 340 and some school routes like 696, 697 and 698 but I’m pretty sure just 698.

10% Gemini 3 90%routemaster

When you order a routemaster from wish.

Go-Ahead London have these but not a lot though, but never knew RATP had these buses until now.

Thank you for a really useful historical document. Thanks for expanding upon the history of "Son of Routemaster - sometimes there are evolutionary dead-ends. The front still looks stylish; Upstarirs rear probably more sensible outside of the high-capacity needs of London routes. The air vents in the ceiling at 2:35 would indicate that air-con *is* installed??

It's like a routemaster but smaller and has a familiar hybrid engine noise, reminding of our B5LHs.

I've ridden on both, and the Routemaster feels more stylish with its rear staircase and bordeaux coloured interior. I think they have not been exported because there is no provision for airconditioning - both HK and SG would require aircon. I'm impressed with this comparison - i didn't think anyone else would notice, much less make a video about it. Great job.

Very nice buses and so quiet inside. A far cry from the old rundown buses we have and only run when they feel like it.

Go-ahead used to have couple running on the 37 between Peckham and Putney heath

I saw one on the 125 once

Woah, you went to Harrow! My territory.

I expect the only thing the Enviro 400s beat this bus on is price. This probably is more expensive, but like cars, you get what you pay for. This bus looks more solid and better built. It also has proper old style Routemaster seats with a full hand rail. I think the loss of the second staircase and third door is a shame. Very handy features on busy peak period routes, when you need to get off but the first staircase and centre doors are obstructed. I've missed a stop a few times on standard layout buses due to this problem, the driver moving off while you're stuck on the stairs. The extra staircase and exit could be a life-saver in an accident or fire. The LT (AKA New Routemaster) should have become the standard bus across all London as the original Routemaster was, but Mayor Khan couldn't stomach it's link to Boris Johnson and cancelled further orders. No doubt if it were a Livingstone project Khan would have continued the orders for more LTs. I'm still waiting for a Khan success...

really easy to tell actually, even from the right side and front. On the right side, NRMs should not have windows and seats stretching all the way back (if it did it's a B5LH (SRM)); on the front, just look at the licence, NRMs all have LTZ xxxx regs.

When i used to drive the 14, i used to see these on the 37 from time to time. Havent seen em since but now that i do rail replacement, i see them on the 340 alot, dont think anyone else has them. Oh yh that pinner bus had them, hard to believe that was a metroline bus tho because i cant imagine the inner moquette and all that

Has the distinctive WrightBus rattle 🤪

It's little bit more comfortable than the Olympic one.

How to find a fake routermaster bus - always check the side of the left . If there is no third door

I like this as it is a conventional bus with 'nods' to the routemaster, rather than requiring a different pattern of operation

In some ways you might wonder why more were not built or ordered. The newer version of the Routemaster hasn’t had a decline in use but been reworked as things go. I think some operators prefer to have a choice of chassis or bodywork supplier and maybe this was the one that didn’t have the edge. The Enviro 400 City seems a good option and many have been sought so maybe that speaks volumes. Wrightbus vehicles are around London,maybe the engine and mechanics are not so great and that’s possibly why it’s had a limited success or impact.

I’ve heard of these and ridden on both this and the normal Borismaster think of the SRM as a Borismaster with the Gemini 3 like rear with the same Volvo B5LH chassis, sadly I don’t think these would have caught on as it was easier and a lot cheaper to just order the Gemini 3.

The buses in UK are so identical to HK where I live

Some new route masters are on superloop express I have also been on they are similar to old routemasters

Bring back Alderdam bus works and Park royal assembly there was somewhere out west of London and cannot remember its name. Proper Route Masters

The blue pole reminded me of SG B5LH interior pole

Ive seen this many times before on 698

Thats a good bus ride

@9:57, I don't like that there is no back view. No looking over your shoulder to see if the bus you really want is coming up behind.

The 142's have been running this type of bus for some time through Edgware it only recently the 340's have gone over.

I remember when these used to run on 37 temporarily

I remember these on the 183😂(only rideable when it was cold)

It’s rarer than a Mercedes O295K in London as only 9 were built and all are operated by London United.

In my opinion, still awful buses, this bus and the boris bus is a sauna without its Air con 🤣🤣🤣🤣

the SRMs look even weirder but a bit less weird vs the Boris master having the front looks alright the backside looks wrong almsot as if an actual B5LH bus of some form was let loose at the wrightbus factory with a boris master witch led to the weirder SRM being bread to say i aint from london and ive seen the boris masters never been keen on them not even the model versions witch i have 3 of

TFL just bought a routemaster from temu for £1

These have always been with rapt, used on x140 before and now h12 and 340

People liked the route master because could step on or off whenever speed permitted. Heath and safety now insist that whenever a bus coach train tram etc is moving the doors are closed so you can't just hop or off in slowi moving traffic

Looking at that video I'd say half of London traffic and pollution problem is too many busses

The Routemaster had plenty of criticism whan it came out. The RT was regarded as the best looking bus of all time - the second post war variant with roof box and illuminated lower deck route number being the ultimate in bus perfection.

Lol this is my local route so I see it very often 😂

I’ve heard of it it used to run the route 37 but stopped

Them busses look like they've seen some crap that even a lifetime of therapy would never cure. LOL

These were on 697 a long time ago

Having recently been back in London, I hate the straight staircases in the buses. They are very un ergonomic and a nightmare to negotiate. By contrast the rear staircase in the NBL’s is way better in terms of design. Just a shame that the buses are used as intended.

These are on H12 as Well😊

when you order a routemaster from temu

If it doesn't have a rear door platform, can you really call it a RouteMaster?

I have been on the old routemaster in 70,d

1:53 you leaked my local bus route.. which is the Gemini 2 infront

To replace the NRM New Route master Wright-bus made the SRM the son of the master. So what are you looking at the son of route master..

ive seen one on route 79 once

wow toilet transit working with RATP.

Look alright to me

Ahhh, so that's what route they're on

Kinda much like volvo b8l expect for curve window at the back and seat cushion

Looks as if it is more of a replica of Bristol rather than Routemaster.

I identify buses in Singapore by looking at the back.

I will never calls these routemasters.

Routemaster from temu ☠️

Has anyone ever developed a PSV that DOESN'T rattle?

blue poles

Vanity project carved out of arguably another vanity project

Ik these buses

ENVIRO 400 CITY

I rode it

That Son of a Bristol!

There’s no such thing as a “Fake Routemaster”!!! It is 2024 It’s just like calling a Tesla model S a fake Ford Model T The company built the Routemaster buses went out of business waaaay back in 1979.

It has USB’S

Those are Wrightbus SRMs

The rear is so ugly!!

If you're going to redesign a bus why not put a full width rear window. Looks stupid as it is .👎

2 door boris

Rubbish bus very trash. And ugly bus. One of these was on X140 before the bus became SL9. How ever route SL9 did trial this bus on route SL9 for the SRM wright bus. The New Bus for London has 3 doors. This one only haves 2 doors. They are the same from the front of the buses but different at the back. X140 or now SL9 will not be doing this bus anymore. Most likely these buses will be replaced with the new enviro 400 city mmcs. I be very surprised if a SRM a metroline one appears on the Uxbridge routes like routes U4. This will be something to keep an eye out on the SRM and new route master buses. For the Uxbridge buses. As for the Harrow buses London sovereign for the SRMs. Also the popular bus is the N9. Because it's route masters are very real and not fake. As for this route master SRM is completely fake and trash.

imposter bus

God its so cursed

And the point of this video was.....

NOOOOOOOOO THIS ROUTEMASTER DOSENT HAVE 3 DOORS ITS LOOKS SO UGLY WTF IS THIS???

The back is so stupidly designed, if you're going to have a regular bus then at least commit to it.

I don't like them