Speak Out interviewed a Routemaster conductress, Deena, and driver, Francis

SO: Deena, what is it like being a conductor on a bus with an open platform?

Deena: You have to be very careful. Every year in London a passenger is killed — usually running to catch a bus, jumping and missing the platform. If you jump onto the platform and try to grab the pole as the bus is moving off, then you will break your hand or arm! But we have millions of safe journeys a year so accidents are very rare. You do get people trying to get on and off while the bus is moving. It is my job to stop them injuring themselves.

SO: Do you like working on this type of bus?

Deena: Oh yes! The Routemaster is very fast. Passengers value it for that, and so we get fewer problems with people complaining that they are late for work. Sometimes it is difficult climbing the stairs when the bus is going round a corner! I love shouting to the passengers, 'Hold Tight!', and, 'Tickets Please!' The bus has good heating, but in the winter it is very cold near the open platform.

SO: How do you communicate with the driver?

Deena: We have a bell system. There is a wire near the ceiling. When all the passengers have got on or off at a stop, I pull the wire twice and a bell rings twice to tell the driver it is safe to move off. Other rings mean different things — for example, if I ring continuously, it means there is an emergency.

SO: Do you think the Routemaster should be replaced by the 'bendy bus'?

Deena: It is difficult for parents with small children to get on a Routemaster, and for disabled people too. But the Routemaster is a very useful kind of bus for the average Londoner. You can literally just jump on or off. People like them for short journeys. As a conductor you can help people and chat to them. I have been proposed to a number of times by men, people have sung songs to me, I even had an armed robber jump on, trying to escape the police! The bendy buses are good for cities in Europe with wide streets, but not in narrow, windy London.

SO: Francis, what was it like driving the Routemaster?

Francis: They were very, very fast. When it was quiet we used to race them! They were very light, and you could even do hand-brake turns! The only problem was that there wasn't much space for the driver in his compartment, and the steering was difficult to turn. That's why most drivers were men and a lot of conductors, women. The only other problem was being careful to check that passengers didn't jump on or off while the bus was moving. It was also a bit boring being the driver as you had no one to talk to.

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