Boris Johnson test drives new Routemaster London bus - Telegraph.co.uk

If tests are successful, the first five Routemasters will enter service early next year, with the full fleet of 30 to 40 in service by 2013. No routes have been selected yet but the first ones will be operated by Arriva London.

Manufactured almost entirely in the UK, the final version will be red, not silver, and will cost £330,000 each.

The original Routemaster was withdrawn from general service in 2005 because it was inaccessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs.