£450,000 to drive bus to Beijing

A total of £450,000 of public money is being spent sending a London double-decker by road to Beijing.

Eight drivers are being recruited to take the bus 5,000 miles to the Chinese capital to coincide with this summer's Olympics.

Transport for London and London Olympic chiefs are paying for the trip, which Mayor Ken Livingstone believes will celebrate Anglo-Chinese cultural and economic links and provide a showcase for London's "world-class transport".

Critics say it is a waste of time and money. Hugh Robertson, shadow Olympics minister, said: "It would be much better to invest the money in re-invigorating grassroots sport across the capital, which is the promise we made to the International Olympic Committee, rather than wasting it on silly PR schemes."

Green Party London Assembly member Darren Johnson said: "The Mayor would be better off looking at how he can ensure the majority of people coming to the 2012 Olympics travel by rail rather than by air."

The drivers will be led by veteran explorer Mac Mackenney and have a support team and vehicle. They will drive in shifts during the three-month journey, reaching Beijing in time for the closing ceremony in August.

TfL commissioner Peter Hendy said: "The Bus to Beijing project is an extraordinary opportunity for London to showcase and celebrate its transport system through a globally recognised icon of the city."

Drivers are being urged to apply for the "trip of a lifetime" on full pay and 30 will be chosen after an assessment weekend before the final eight are picked to depart in June.

The bus will be a British-built Enviro 400, which runs on low-sulphur diesel. Mr Livingstoneis due to to take the Olympic torch from his Beijing counterpart at a ceremony to mark London's tenure as the next host city. He said: "What better way to celebrate the growing cultural and economic links between the UK and China than by giving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to a group of London bus drivers to represent our city and our world-class transport to the rest of the world?"