Editing AEC Routemaster (section)

===Life extensions===
[[File:First London Routemaster bus RM1640 (640 DYE) heritage route 9 Trafalgar Square 8 July 2006.jpg|thumb|[[First London]] [[Marshall Bus]] refurbished RM1640 on [[London Buses route 9 (Heritage)|Heritage route 9]] in July 2006]]

Following the ending of production at [[Associated Equipment Company|AEC]] [[Southall]], and the later closure of the Aldenham Works, new options for extending the life of the Routemaster became necessary if they were to continue to run. This made sense as, even by 1987, when some buses looked decidedly worn out, inspections by London Buses revealed the basic structure of the buses was still sound,<ref name=CountryBusRML3/> requiring only replacement of engines and interior/exterior renewal.

From 1992 to 1994, all but two of the RMLs were refurbished for ten years' further service. This work, which included updating the interior to modern tastes and substituting [[Cummins]] or [[Iveco]] engines, was carried out by [[South Yorkshire Transport]], TB Precision, Nottingham Truck & Bus and by one of the new London Buses business units, Leaside Buses. One hundred RMs were also re-engined.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=7 March 1992 |issue=3 |page=13 |title=RM is reborn at last |magazine=[[Coach & Bus Week]]|location=Peterborough |publisher=Emap}}</ref><ref name=RMAssocHistory/> Post-privatisation, in 1996, [[London Central]]'s RMs on [[London Buses route 36|route 36]], [[Stagecoach London]]'s RMLs for routes [[London Buses route 8|8]] and [[London Buses route 15|15]], and [[Arriva London]]'s RMs for [[London Buses route 159|route 159]] received new [[Scania AB|Scania]] engines and a number of subtle reworks including hopper style windows.<ref name=RMAssocHistory/>

In 2001/02, under new [[Mayor of London]] [[Ken Livingstone]], [[Transport for London]] (TfL) purchased 50 RMs from a variety of sources, including Reading Mainline and two from Italy. Of these, 43 were refurbished by [[Marshall Bus]] between May 2001 and August 2002, receiving Cummins engines coupled to an [[Allison Transmission|Allison]] automatic gearbox. They also received a full body overhaul including new hopper windows. The first 22 were leased to [[London Sovereign]] for use on [[London Buses route 13|route 13]] with ten going to [[Arriva London]] for use on [[London Buses route 38|route 38]] and others to [[First London]], [[London Central]] and [[London United Busways|London United]]. After Marshall Bus went into administration, Arriva London completed a further six, albeit without the heavy body overhauls and retaining the quarter-drop windows.<ref name=KBlackerVol2/>