Front runners to be London's next mayor signal the end of the road for the controversial 'Boris Bus'

The front runners to be London's next mayor today signaled the end of the road for the controversial 'Boris Bus' just four years after it was launched.

The 'New Routemaster' was commissioned by Boris Johnson to replace 'bendy buses' introduced by his predecessor Ken Livingstone.

But Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith and Labour's Sadiq Khan vowed to switch to a new green fleet of electric or hydrogen buses.

The mayor ordered a further 200 Routemasters during a visit to the Northern Ireland factory where they are built.

The bus has been criticised for being too expensive and too hot. The current £320,000 price tag is £10,000 more expensive than other hybrid buses.

Transport for London is spending £3m retrofitting the fleet of 800 with windows which open and close after complaints from commuters during the Summer.