Red alert as Boris takes to wheel of new Routemaster

Boris Johnson unveiled his new bus for London today - and demanded the right to drive it through the city.

The Mayor said "Christmas has arrived" as he insisted on getting behind the wheel of the Routemaster.

Then, to his aides' astonishment, he drove the bus past City Hall before it was driven on to Trafalgar Square.

Mr Johnson shouted joyously as he drove: "It's fantastic - so manoeuvrable." An aide asked him to stop before getting to a main road but he joked: "Why can't I drive on the road? I'm the Mayor. I've got a universal licence."

He added: "This shows that Britain still makes beautiful things." But critics today branded the bus Mr Johnson's "shiny vanity project".

The Mayor revealed that the first bus will enter service on February 20 and will operate on one of the capital's busiest bus routes - the 38, which runs from Victoria station to Hackney.

He said: "Christmas has arrived early in the form of this revolutionary new bus whose gleaming coat of red paint and sinuous curves will brighten the day of all who see it humming along our great city's streets.

It is the latest, greatest masterpiece of British engineering and design, and I am certain it will become a much loved and iconic vehicle akin to the legendary Routemaster from which it draws so much inspiration."

Eight prototypes will enter passenger service in the first half of next year. The project - replacing the original Routemaster, which stopped running in 2005 - has cost £11 million so far.

Transport for London Commissioner Peter Hendy said: "It is a phenomenal achievement to get a bus of this calibre from the drawing board to the streets of London in just two years. My congratulations go to all who have worked tirelessly to make this happen."

But Val Shawcross, Labour's transport spokeswoman on the London Assembly, accused Mr Johnson of wasting millions on the project.

She said: "Should spending millions on redesigning buses when we're on the verge of recession be a priority?

"The Mayor is hiking up fares, making going to work practically unaffordable for many. Paying millions for this shiny vanity project is an insult to those in this city who are really struggling."