New Routemaster: Pre-production buses
The 8 pre-production New Routemaster buses.
These were the first buses to enter public service, in 2012. They were built gradually, initially receiving standard GB format registration plates for 2012 (61, 12), and given fleetnumbers from LT1, starting the class specific LT series. They were allocated to Arriva for trial operation on route 38. Before entering service, LT1 was displayed to the public in various outer London locations over Christmas 2011/New Year 2012. As they were finished they were introduced gradually to the route, with just LT1 and LT2 entering service on the first day, 27 February 2012 (LT2 starting the first journey, at lunchtime). In May 2013, LT1 and LT2 (and later LT3) were passed to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for use in a promotional world tour - for this they remained in London red/Arriva logos, although LT3 was later altered to look like a Metroline example. After the first batch of production buses entered service in June 2013, the remaining pre-production buses stayed with Arriva on route 38, operating in single-door mode only. These remaining buses were subsequently re-registered into the class specific LTZ series. The re-registration of LT8 coincided with its re-allocation to Metroline. Of the world tour buses, LT1 is now in storage in Abu Dhabi. LT2 & LT3 have since returned, but have not re-entered service with Arriva - in July 2014, LT2 was painted in a green livery (minus any fleet number) for a 6 month loan period to First West Yorkshire, to promote their New Bus For West Yorkshire initiative. LT8 originally started as a Euro V vehicle in Arriva in 2012 as LT12HHT, LT8 then has been re-engineered to Euro VI vehicle then returned to London with a complete new operator, Metroline.
Key:
- Fleetnumber
- Date of initial (GB) registration
- GB format registration
- LTZ series re-registration
- Operators/Locations
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