A New Bus for London, and Ballymena

Robert Jack previews the capital’s ‘son of Routemaster’ prototype

Wrightbus boss Mark Nodder with the mock-up Routemaster 2

Wrightbus boss Mark Nodder with the mock-up Routemaster 2

Kulveer Ranger

Kulveer Ranger

How do you feel about spending £7.8m of taxpayers’ money? That was just one of the spiky questions that Wrightbus group managing director Mark Nodder faced when the media were invited to his company’s factory in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, in mid-September. They were there to witness the progress made on the ‘New Bus for London’, aka ‘Son of Routemaster’, and the question illustrates that this is no ordinary contract for new buses.

The New Bus for...