Sadiq Khan scraps the 'Boris bus'

Sadiq Khan has axed the 'Boris bus' in a cost-cutting exercise.

The new-look double-decker Routemaster buses were introduced by then-mayor Boris Johnson in 2012, and were heralded as being a huge step forward in cutting emissions.

See also: Boris unveils London's new hop-on hop-off bus

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However, the buses cost £350,000 each compared to £300,000 for a standard bus, and axing them could make budget savings to help pay for a possible four-year public transport fares freeze.

Transport for London announced that the new Routemasters were being discontinued.

According to the Standard, a statement read: "New capital investment will be reduced significantly as we discontinue purchases of new Routemaster buses.

"We will carry on investing in the fleet however, by retro-fitting 3,000 vehicles with Euro VI standard emission technology by 2020."

The move could be seen as a blow to Boris' legacy, as he had talked of plans to see 2,000 on the roads by 2020.

Back in March, former Downing Street adviser Steve Hilton said that he struggled "to think of what his legacy is". According to the Guardian, he added: "The real legacy of moving London's transport system forward, I think, happened with the previous mayor, with Ken Livingstone with the big moves – the introduction of the congestion charge and the Oyster card – and in those two areas of transport and promoting London it's really difficult to think of something specific that you could [point] at as being Boris Johnson's legacy."

Boris Johnson was elected Mayor of London in 2008, beating Ken Livingstone.

He was replaced by Mr Khan in May 2016 after deciding to return to Westminster politics, reports the Independent.