When did the first new bus come out in London?
The first new bus (fleet number LT 2) entered service with Arriva London on 27 February 2012, on route 38. During the 2012 London mayoral election, former Mayor of London and Labour candidate Ken Livingstone said that, if elected, he would buy no more New Buses for London because of the price.
Are buses built in London built for London?
Since then, buses built for London's local services have all been variants of models built for general use elsewhere, although bus manufacturers would routinely offer a 'London specification' to meet specific London requirements.
What is the name of the London Bus Company?
Trading under the name London Country the green buses and Green Line Coaches became the responsibility of a new NBC subsidiary, London Country Bus Services, on 1 January 1970. A former network of express buses operated by London Transport in central London was the Red Arrows.
What is the new bus for London competition?
After winning, on 4 July 2008 Johnson announced the New Bus for London competition. An initiative of Transport for London, the competition invited anybody, both companies and members of the public, to submit ideas for consideration.
Who made the London bus?
The early 19th century saw the arrival of the omnibus in London, introduced by English coachbuilder George Shillibeer. Before that the only road vehicles for public hire were four wheeled coaches called hackneys.
Who designed the original Routemaster bus?
This has made it one of London's most famous symbols, with much tourist paraphernalia continuing to bear Routemaster imagery. The Routemaster bus was developed during the years 1947–1956 by a team directed by A. M. Durrant and Colin Curtis, with vehicle styling by Douglas Scott.
Who designed the London double-decker bus?
The first double-decker was actually a two-level horse-drawn carriage pioneered by a man named Stanislas Baudry. Later, inspired by Baudry's idea (and his success), an English gentleman known as George Shillibeer brought the 'omnibus' to London.
Who designed the red London bus?
The buses, designed by Heatherwick Studio and built by Wrightbus feature two staircases, three doors and an open platform allowing passengers to hop on and off, and commenced operating in 2012.
How much is a new London bus?
The layout of the new bus allows it to be operated by one person. The cost of each bus was £355,000 over the four-year procurement period. The last of the 1,000 New Routemasters was delivered in December 2017.
What happened to the old Routemaster buses?
Transport for London has retired its fleet of classic Routemaster buses, which has been running on the number 15 route, the capital's last running heritage service. The vintage buses have fallen victim to falling ridership across the central London bus work and environmental and accessibility limitations.
Where is Thomas Heatherwick from?
London, United KingdomThomas Heatherwick / Place of birth
Why are double-decker buses red?
In 1907 one company, the powers that be at London General Omnibus Company had a genius idea. They decided to paint the entire fleet red, making their buses stand out from their rivals, and place numbers on the front of the bus to tell people the route it would be taking.
Which country invented double-decker bus?
The first double-decker bus was invented in Paris in 1853; it was a horse-drawn omnibus. The upper floor was cheaper and often uncovered. The first double-decker motor bus in Paris, Schneider Brillié P2, appeared in 1906. It was designed to allow more passengers and to replace the horse-drawn double-decker omnibus.
Why are the tops of London buses White?
Ten years ago, the Transport for London introduced a programme for the installation of white panels atop the capital's trademark red buses in the framework of further climate-adaptation plans. More specifically, white panels reflect the rays of the summer sun, thus keeping the vehicles cooler.
Why do London buses have two doors?
TfL generally operates two door buses as this speeds boarding and alighting, particularly at busy stops. However due to physical constraints such as tight corners, some routes can only be operated with buses of less than 9m in length. These only have one door.
Why are buses painted red?
The reason behind their colour dates to the early 1900s, when the transport system was operated by different rival companies. London General Omnibus Company (or L.G.O.C.) owned most of the buses and in 1907 painted its entire fleet red to stand out from competitors.
What is the history of the London bus?
The History of the London Bus. The red double-decker bus is one of the most iconic features of London and with good reason. Just like the London Underground, these buses are one of the faster and efficient ways to travel in the hustle and bustle of this booming metropolis. Save £4.00.
When did the ownership of London buses change?
In the year 2000, the ownership of London buses was changed from the London Regional Transport which was controlled by the government to Transport for London, or TFL, which is the Mayor of London’s own transport organisation and continues to be run by them today. Save £4.00.
What are London buses?
London buses have become so iconic that they have become a large part of the London souvenir industry. There are bus key chains, magnets and many other wonderful souvenirs that are designed to replicate the famous red buses that are commonly seen zooming around the city. So if you want to treat someone special to some super cool London souvenirs, the Double Decker bus design always makes a wonderful gift idea.
What is a night bus?
The night bus is a transport service that runs when other regular buses do not. One of the more common sights in London are tour buses. Tour buses are specially designed for taking tourists around for sight-seeing in the more famous parts on Central London and the city's iconic landmarks.
When were buses invented?
The first known “buses” of London were used in 1829 and were horse drawn; taking people from one destination to another just like a taxi service. They were started by George Shillibeer who used to take people from Paddington to the city on a horse drawn omnibus with the intention of starting a service similar to the buses of today.
Where is JustFab food bus?
There is even a restaurant called the JustFab Food Bus in London which operates from a converted Double Decker bus, giving a stylish and humorous feel to the place, thus making it a great day out for people who appreciate a tasty work of art or two.
When did London buses start using numbers?
It wasn't until in 1906 that numbers were first used on buses to differentiate them and the routes that they would normally take. Independent bus companies would use a number ...
What was the name of the bus company that operated in Central London?
A former network of express buses operated by London Transport in Central London was the Red Arrows. The routes, all numbered in the 500s, ran from main line stations to various locations in the West End and City.
When did buses start in London?
Buses have been used on the streets of London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating his horse-drawn omnibus service from Paddington to the City. In 1850 Thomas Tilling started horse bus services, and in 1855 the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) was founded to amalgamate and regulate the horse-drawn omnibus services then ...
How many doors does a London bus have?
All other local bus services are now operated by modern low-floor buses, which may be single-deck or double-deck. Most buses operating in London have two sets of doors, and passengers board the bus using the front door and alight using the rear door, whilst some buses on less busy routes have only one door.
What is a tour bus in London?
A common sight in central London are tour buses, the majority being open-top buses. These are double-decker buses with a fully or partially open upper deck, which provide tourist services with either live or recorded commentary. Most of these services allow passengers to embark and disembark at any of the company's stops, continuing their journey on a later bus.
How many red buses are there in London?
In the decades since their introduction, the red London bus has become a symbol of the city. As of 2021. [update] London has 675 bus routes, almost all of which are operated by private companies under contract to London Buses, part of Transport for London.
When did buses start being used in London?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. A 2005 Alexander ALX400 passing a 1963 AEC Routemaster. Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn omnibus service from Paddington to the City of London.
What is the national express?
National Express' predominantly white vehicles are common on the roads of central London, on their way to and from their terminus at Victoria Coach Station .
Overview
The New Routemaster, originally referred to as the New Bus for London and colloquially as the Borismaster, is a low-floor diesel double-decker bus operated in London, England. Designed by Heatherwick Studio and manufactured by Wrightbus, it is notable for featuring a "hop-on hop-off" rear open platform similar to the original Routemaster bus design but updated to meet requireme…
Configuration
The final design has doors at the front, centre and rear. The front and rear doors lead to staircases to the upper deck. The rear entrance initially had a platform and pole similar to the original Routemaster, with a door which was kept open for hop-on, hop-off operation when a conductor was on board. Readers for the contactless Oyster card used for payment for transport in London are provided …
Background
Designed for and largely operated in London, over 2,800 AEC Routemasters were built between 1956 and 1968, with a design so robust that the Routemaster outlasted newer buses intended to replace it, remaining in use until 2005, well into the deregulated era.
From 31 December 2000, it became mandatory for all new buses delivered in t…
Design
On 3 September 2007 the Conservative mayoral candidate for London, Boris Johnson, announced that he was contemplating introducing a modern-day Routemaster. In December 2007, the UK automotive magazine Autocar commissioned the bus designer Capoco, designer of the innovative Optare Solo, to come up with detailed proposals for a new-generation Routemaster. Their d…
Production
A static mockup was unveiled at Acton depot on 11 November 2010: the first engineering prototype was driven by Boris Johnson at a public demonstration on 27 May 2011. The first working prototype was unveiled in December 2011 and driven from City Hall to Trafalgar Square. Within days of its unveiling, the first prototype was reported to have broken down on the M1 motorway north of London, but this was due to human error; it had run out of fuel. The first new b…
Demonstrations
In May 2013, LT1 and LT2 were loaned to the UK government to take part in a global trade mission covering 16 countries in four continents over 12 months. In October 2013, LT3 was sent on a demonstration tour to Hong Kong and then to Singapore in February 2014. As at August 2014, LT1 was stored in Abu Dhabi pending a decision on the future of the programme while the other two had ret…
Operation
As of March 2021, 1,000 New Routemasters are under TfL operation, which represents one-ninth of the total fleet.
New Routemasters currently run on the following routes:
New Routemasters previously operated on the following routes.
In November 2018, route 10 was withdrawn and its New Routemaster buses were transferred to …
Ownership
Under the bus contract tendering system for London, routes are often updated with new buses every five to seven years, with new buses owned or leased by the operator, whether the route operator changes or not. Older buses, often go on to further use outside London, either cascaded within the fleets of the large national operators who own several of the London operating companies or sold to other regional companies. An exception is the New Routemaster. New Rou…