Route 24 has an unusual distinction. It was the first to run the New Bus for London (NBfL), with 32 of the £354,000 diesel-electric hybrid double-deckers plying between Hampstead Heath and Pimlico. Transport for London (TfL) has since ordered 600 for delivery by 2016 at a total cost of £213m. What TfL describes as the New Routemaster, but is usually referred to as the Borismaster (because of London mayor Boris Johnson's influence), received a mixed reception. Some applauded its looks - though stopping short of Johnson's claim of "sinuous beauty and graceful motion" - but others voiced criticisms. For example, NBfL has three sets of doors. Although the rear door, which opens to reveal an open platform, is not always fully in use, when it is the vehicle requires two crew - the driver and a 'customer assistant', who appears to be there to stop passengers tumbling off the platform. That drives up costs. Green Party members of the London Assembly claim that this requirement alone will push annual operating expenditure up by £37m.
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