Ready to hop on and off When the Olympic Games were handed over to Britain at Beijing in 2008, a double-decker bus trundled on and a dance troupe waved or drowned before our eyes. A fear broke loose that Cliff Richard might appear any second. Toes curled. Yet the red double-decker remains an emblem of Britain, as much as Big Ben or Tower Bridge. It may ply for trade in London, but it stands for the nation. Sadly, the presence of a Routemaster on the Antiques Roadshow confirmed that our capital could no longer pretend the old bus met its daily travel needs. Not that it lacked distinction: the moquette of the seats, the slatted floor, the metal finish and the very window-winders remain durable masterpieces of design. Most important of all, the open rear platform allowed passengers to hop on or off in stationary traffic. This week a new bus was unveiled, to run first on a route once given over to the hated "bendy bus," which blocked junctions and tended to burst into flames. The new bus is designed by Thomas Heatherwick, who gave Manchester the spiky B of the Bang sculpture, and the furry Seed Cathedral to the Shanghai Expo. His bus is red (good) and bright, with a rear platform, upon which citizens must keep an eagle eye. They will only be allowed to hop on (or off) when a conductor is on duty, which transport authorities say will be "most of the day." It should be all day. Conductors insert civility and politeness into the civic polity.