Yes Colin this IS indeed a unique advantage but it is also one of the many
reasons for TfL`s insistance on retiring the breed.
The Routemaster remains a unique concept which rather than becoming less
relevant with the passage of time is actually bucking the trend.
My last spell of travel on a NEW low floor bus was in the presence of
pasengers who were extremely irrated by the Drivers (Quite Correct) refusal
to open the exit doors until he was adjacent to the kerb.
Although the fellow did actually allow passengers to alight between stops he
was not prepared to open the doors while the bus was out on the
carriageway......Sometimes progress is not quite what it seems....?
The build up of tension within the bus was most noticable and certainly not
a facet which could be marketed as a "desirable" feature of LFDD bus
travel......???