• Question by: Caroline Pidgeon
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

What, if any, guidelines will you be setting for the design and will it have an open rear platform and need conductors?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Will it also be a priority on the new buses to design out crime because crime and anti social behaviour and vandalism blighted the service under your predecessor and put off a lot of people from using it? Will that be a priority too?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Will you also ensure in the design of the bus which is to replace the bendy bus that fare evasion is addressed as a priority because, of course, the existing bendy buses became known as free buses; nobody paid. If you address fare evasion not only will you improve the design but you will actually recoup some money back as well and may be able to afford some of the extra bells and whistles that Darren wants.

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

At the last Mayor's Question Time you said that you would put conductors but they would not be traditional conductors taking fares, they would be there to help people on and off the bus. Can I ask how you can reconcile those two things and cut down on the fare evasion point that Roger Evans mentioned if your new generation Routemaster will be a hop on hop off and you are not going to have anyone there checking fares?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Well Route 73 ends next May, so are you going to replace it or are you going to get a new service in?

• Question by: Kit Malthouse
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

When you initiate the competition for the new Routemaster would you please consider asking the entrants to specifically consider alternatives to hybrid engines, namely hydrogen engines? There is a strong strain of thought that says hybrid technology is a temporary solution pending the development of new heavy-duty hydrogen engines and a promulgation of the supply of hydrogen throughout London. What I would hate to see is for you commission a new Routemaster with hybrid technology that then becomes redundant and ends up costing Londoners more within a short space of time. The other aspect of course which many, many Londoners...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Could I just confirm that a design feature of your competition will be a hop on/hop off Routemaster?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

So they will have responsibility for fares?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

So it would be at least as clean or cleaner than the current hybrid vehicles that are being introduced?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

But that was one of your criticisms of the bendy bus; that it was high on fare evasion. I am just wondering how you are going to design your new Routemaster if you are having a hop on/hop off yet your new conductors are not going to have fares' responsibility?