Editing AEC Routemaster (section)

===Withdrawal from London===
[[File:Routemaster and modern buses.jpg|thumb|right|[[Arriva London]]'s RML2574 on [[London Buses route 159|route 159]] in December 2005 with its replacements, a modern double decker and an articulated bus]]
[[File:2217Arrives.JPG|thumb|[[Arriva London]]'s RM2217 arrives at [[Brixton bus garage]] with the last scheduled Routemaster service on 9 December 2005]]
[[File:Arriva London Routemaster bus RM54 (LDS 279A), Whitehall, route 159, 9 December 2005.jpg|thumb|[[Arriva London]]'s RM54 on [[Whitehall]] on 9 December 2005]]

At the beginning of the 2000s, there was debate concerning the issue of whether to replace or retain the Routemaster in London service. Supporters cited its continued mechanical fitness, speed of boarding and tourist potential, while opponents pointed to the economics of running increasingly elderly buses when newer, larger, accessible buses were now available.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{Cite web |date=4 December 1998 |title=Ken Livingstone answers your questions |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/227374.stm |access-date=2021-08-27 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Opponents also pointed specifically to the lack of accessibility of the Routemaster in light of impending relevant legislation, which meant all new buses now entering service in London would be required to have a [[Low-floor bus|low-floor]] design. The emergence of off-bus ticketing technology also reduced the argument for better dwell times, whereby the [[Oyster card]] and off-bus ticket machines would reduce the time it took passengers to board the bus.

Livingstone was initially supportive of retaining the Routemasters and their conductors,<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/> reintroducing 49 refurbished buses into service.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Roger |last2=Livingstone |first2=Ken |date=2005-06-13 |title=Routemaster Refurbishment |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2005/1222 |access-date=2021-08-27 |website=Mayor's Question Time}}</ref> However, Livingstone decided to replace the Routemaster fleet with low-floor buses, following a campaign by disabled rights groups, the large number of people injured by falling off the open rear platform and a realisation of the difficulty of trying to use high-floor buses with his children.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Livingstone |first=Ken |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/785989207 |title=You can't say that : memoirs |date=2012 |publisher=Faber And Faber |isbn=978-0-571-28041-4 |location=London |oclc=785989207 |quote=One Londoner in ten found it impossible to climb onto a Routemaster. That didn't include people struggling with luggage or shopping or babies. I only understood the problem when I started taking Tom and Mia out in the buggy.}}</ref>

In March 2003, [[Peter Hendy]], then managing director of Surface Transport for TfL noted that the implementation of a low floor, accessible bus fleet was a higher priority than keeping the historic Routemaster buses.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Webster |first=Ben |date=19 March 2003 |title=Routemasters put on road to retirement |language=en |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/advice/routemasters-put-on-road-to-retirement-s3cf2sstg9h |access-date=2022-06-16 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Despite criticism from the media and the public,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lydall |first=Ross |date=20 June 2005 |title=Routemaster's last hurrah |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/routemaster-s-last-hurrah-7187894.html |access-date=2021-08-27 |website=[[Evening Standard]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-02-07 |title=Bus backlash as mayor rings the changes |url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/feb/07/transport.london |access-date=2021-08-27 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> remaining services were consequently replaced from August 2003 onwards by low-floor double decker or [[Articulated buses in London|articulated buses]], as existing bus contracts were renewed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2003 |title=London Buses – Bendy buses |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/ini_207.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209104222/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/ini_207.shtml |archive-date=9 December 2004 |access-date= |website=Transport for London}}</ref>

Withdrawals began on the dates below as the five-year contracts expired.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Route!!Ceased!!Operator!!Replaced by
|-
|[[London Buses route 15|15]]||29 August 2003||[[East London (bus company)|East London]]||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 11|11]]||31 October 2003||[[London General]]||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 23|23]]||14 November 2003||[[First London]]||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 94|94]]||23 January 2004||[[London United Busways|Transdev London United]]||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 6|6]]||26 March 2004||[[Metroline]]||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 98|98]]||26 March 2004||Metroline||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 8|8]]||4 June 2004||East London||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 7|7]]||2 July 2004||First London||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 137|137]]||9 July 2004||[[Arriva London]]||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 9|9]]||3 September 2004||Transdev London United||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 73|73]]||3 September 2004||Arriva London||articulated buses
|-
|[[London Buses route 390|390]]||3 September 2004||Metroline||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 12|12]]||5 November 2004||[[London Central]]||articulated buses
|-
|[[London Buses route 36|36]]||28 January 2005||London Central||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 19|19]]||1 April 2005||Arriva London||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 14|14]]||22 July 2005||London General||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 22|22]]||22 July 2005||London General||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 13|13]]||21 October 2005||[[London Sovereign|Transdev London Sovereign]]||double-deckers
|-
|[[London Buses route 38|38]]||28 October 2005||Arriva London||articulated buses
|-
|[[London Buses route 159|159]]||9 December 2005||Arriva London||double-deckers
|}

On 8 December 2005, 24 special buses, including preserved RMs and RMLs and their predecessors from the [[AEC Regent III RT]] bus family made guest appearances on route 159.<ref>[http://www.classicbuses.co.uk/+RM3.html The Routemaster in 2005 – The End] Classic Irish Buses</ref>

On 9 December 2005, the last Routemasters ran on [[London Buses route 159|route 159]].<ref name=":15">{{Cite news |date=2005-12-09 |title=Routemaster makes final journey |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4510410.stm |access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref> On police advice, instead of doing a normal shift until around 23:00, the last Routemaster services ran in the middle of the day. RM2217 operated the final departure from [[Marble Arch]] at 12:08. Heavily delayed, it took 10 minutes to turn the final corner into [[Brixton bus garage]], arriving at 14:06. The last services were greeted by crowds of bus enthusiasts, as well as disability rights protesters welcoming the withdrawal.<ref name=":15" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=10 Dec 2005 |title=Thousands bid adieu to Routemaster bus |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2005/dec/10/thousands-bid-adieu-to-routemaster-bus/ |access-date=2021-08-27 |website=[[Spokesman Review]] |quote=But there were a few dissenters who turned out Friday, including disability rights protesters who held placards saying: “Routemaster good riddance.”}}</ref>

As a consequence of the withdrawal, all London bus routes used low-floor buses by January 2006, thanks to the largest accessible bus fleet in the world.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |date=14 December 2007 |title=Transport for London wins Independent Living Award |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2007/december/transport-for-london-wins-independent-living-award |access-date=2021-08-10 |website=Transport for London |language=en-GB |quote=We have the biggest wheelchair accessible bus network in the world}}</ref>