OBC New Routemaster

The New Routemaster is a hybrid-electric double decker bus built by Transfast Motion and MetroCammell on behalf of the Ourcity Bus Company (OBC)

The New Routemaster was commissioned by OurGov as a brand new high capacity hybrid-electric vehicle to operate on OurcityBus routes out of the Central Zone in Greater Ourcity. The prototype vehicle was unveiled in January 2012 at the TFuture event at the OIEC. The vehicles were then bought into mass production and entered public service on August 5th 2012, operating along route 91 between Streatham Station and Crouch End. The vehicles were the first bus to operate with an open rear platform since the mainstream retirement of the original OBC Routemasters in 2005, in which Route 91 was the last to operate. The vehicles were then slowly rolled out to other main trunk routes originating in the central zone. 1500 vehicles were commissioned to be produced, with production expected to end in 2025. The initial 1500 order is not able to be expanded, although with the announcement of the shorter Mark S design, which adds an extra 50 to the production, brought the option to order an additional amount of these examples come 2025 if demand requires, although the standard NRM design remains capped at 1500.

## New Routemaster Mark 1

The New Routemaster Mark 1 was the first iteration of the type introduced in summer 2012. The Mark 1 vehicles were produced by Transfast Motion on behalf of OBC, and were in production from 2012 until 2014, when the design was modified into the Mark 2.

The Mark 1 vehicles have grey slab roofs and were not fitted with openable windows for ventilation, instead relying on the brand new air conditioning system. The way the OBC Mark 1 vehicles were designed also made them incompatible with non-ORP (Open Rear Platform) operations, as the rear door could not be opened independently, meaning it and the rear staircase would have to be completely locked out of use on any service without a conductor and ORP operation. This meant that the rear staircase and door were locked out of operation whilst the buses were performing duties on nightbus services, as these did not operate with a conductor onboard.

**88 of the NRM Mark 1 vehicles were produced, with an estimated 35 remaining unmodified as of 2022.**

## New Routemaster Mark 2

The New Routemaster Mark 2 began production in April 2014, after a public consultation following the first two years of operation. The general consensus was that the fact that the design lacked openable windows and relied upon air conditioning for ventilation was a flaw, and that ventilation should be fitted. The fact that the rear door and staircase could not be used without Open Rear Platform operation (requiring a conductor) was also brought under scrutiny, as this would limit their rollout to certain routes that wouldn't be compatible with ORP operation.

After the consultation, Designers at OBC were tasked with coming up with a revised version of the New Routemaster design before the continuation of the production could continue. The design would feature on all newly built vehicles, and would be rolled out as a modification to the existing 88 Mark 1 vehicles slowly as production went on. The new design featured a brand new style of roof, being constructed and styled from white slabs with a more curved design at the front and rear. The windows were fitted with sliding ventilation windows, and the rear platform door was modified so that it could be used as a regular door for boarding/alighting on routes without ORP operation or a conductor.

The construction of the Mark 2 vehicles was begun on the 24th April 2014, being contracted as a partnership between MetroCammell and Transfast Motion. The modifications to the existing 88 Mark 1 vehicles began on the 4th May 2014, being carried out by Transfast. Only around 35 are estimated to remain without modification as of 2022, and all remaining Mark 1s are expected to have been modified by the end of production in 2025. The modified examples of Mark 1s look no different to standard Mark 2s, and the only way they can be told apart is through the production date.

**1,360 of the NRM Mark 2 vehicles are being produced, with around 860 estimated to have been produced as of 2022.**

## New Routemaster Mark 2a

The New Routemaster Mark 2a is an alternate prototype design which was produced between September 2018 and March 2019, by both Transfast Motion and MetroCammell on behalf of OBC. The 2a design was fitted to all NRM vehicles produced between these dates. The design is a minor change to the Mark 2 design, with the only difference being the roof colouring, being dark grey rather than white. The vehicles have no other differences cosmetically or operationally. The original Mark 2 design continued production from March 2019 as the white roof design was decided as preferred. All 52 vehicles produced remain in service, and will not be modified to have the same roof design as the typical Mark 2.

**52 of the NRM Mark 2a vehicles were produced.**

## New Routemaster Mark S

The New Routemaster Mark S is a shortened version of the standard NRM design seen in both the Mark 1 and Mark 2(a) vehicles. The rear platform, rear staircase and door have been removed in favour of more seating. These vehicles officially entered production on the 5th April 2022, and are expected to enter service on lower capacity routes than their Mark 1 or 2 counterparts.

Both Transfast and MetroCammell were initially undecided on the Mark S design, as it would come into competition with both of their offerings for a standard double-decker vehicle, although OBC convinced both companies to go ahead with the design by offering a 40-40-10% split to profits, rather than the 33-33-33% split in use with the standard NRM designs, with the minority 10% of profits in the hands of OBC, and the other 80% split equally between MetroCammell and Transfast Motion.

The first NRM Mark S was delivered to CityConnect on the 13th July 2022, with route testing expected to begin within 2 weeks. The routes proposed for use at this time are the 411 and the 414.

**50 of the NRM Mark S vehicles are to be produced, with the option to expand the order in 2025.**