Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Pop Culture»Transport
    Transport 3 Mins Read

    Routemaster Bus

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Arguably the most famous bus in the world, the iconic Routemaster (RM) double-decker was designed by London Transport and nearly 3,000 were built by AEC, with the first prototype being tested in 1954, with the last example delivered in 1968.

    The 64-seat double-decker was ¾ ton lighter than the previous RT double-deckers and replaced the RT and the Leyland Titan.

    Every five years, each Routemaster was sent to the Aldenham bus works (seen in the opening scene of the 1962 film Summer Holiday) for a complete overhaul including a newly-restored interior. Bodies were removed from the chassis along with the running gear. In many cases, the chassis was then fitted with a different body and engine.

    From 31 December 2000, buses had to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and all buses that couldn’t had to be withdrawn from normal service (by 2009 in London and 2014 for the rest of the country).

    This was the death knell for the iconic Routemaster which was replaced with articulated buses (“Bendy Buses”) that complied with the 1995 ruling. They didn’t work well on the tight and narrow busy streets of London and Boris Johnson promised to introduce a new Routemaster if he was elected Mayor of London.

    He won and the New Routemaster, built by Wright Bus, entered service in 2012. Production lasted just six years – a far cry from the original.

    Approximately 1300 original Routemasters remain in private ownership and vehicles sold into preservation rarely get scrapped. They are still found all over the world, including the US, Canada, Australia and South Korea.

    A short heritage route (15H) continued to operate in London, between Tower Hill and Trafalgar Square, with a 10-strong fleet operating from the end of March until the last weekend of September. The service was permanently withdrawn by Transport for London (TfL) in April 2021.

    The heritage route did not operate at all in the 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. TfL saved £825,243 in contract payments to Stagecoach (the operator of the heritage service) and decided to scrap the service completely as a result.

    TRIVIA
    The double-decker Cliff Richard drove to Athens in Summer Holiday wasn’t a Routemaster. It was its predecessor, an AEC Regent III RT – the same model that appeared in the famous 30-second skit in the sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em when hapless no-hoper Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford) roller-skated while holding on to the rear pole of an AEC Regent before letting go, skating under an articulated lorry and ending up in a window display.  Stan Butler’s bus in the On The Busesseries was a Bristol Lodekka.

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Zeta
      Zeta
      The Ampol Rally in 1964 was a baptism of fire for an unknown car, newly born, barely christened. It was…
    • Hovercraft
      Hovercraft
      The hovercraft was invented by British boat builder Christopher Cockerell in 1955. The theory behind one of the most successful…
    • Custom Vans
      Custom Vans
      Whether you were travelling in the Mystery Machine with Scooby-Doo and crew, or just pulling bongs in the back of…
    • Panel Vans (Australia)
      Panel Vans (Australia)
      Fanned by the flames of the wild American custom vans, the van craze spread throughout the western world in the…
    • Cost of New Holden Cars (Australia)
      Cost of New Holden Cars (Australia)
      1961 EK $2212 1962 EJ $2102 1963 EH $2102 1965 HD $2320 1966 HR $2167 1968 HK $2215 1969 HT…
    • Raleigh Grifter
      Raleigh Grifter
      Launched in 1976, the Raleigh Grifter became the ultimate 1980s bike - chunky and funky with throttle-style hand-twist gears. This…
    • Leyland P76
      Leyland P76
      The controversial Leyland P76 was introduced in Australia in 1973 but ceased production in 1975 after less than two years…
    • Space Shuttle
      Space Shuttle
      Plans for the Space Shuttle were created in 1972 as a way to keep the cost of spaceflight down. The…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleBilly Dainty Esq
    Next Article An American Family

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Broadcast News (1987)
      The setting is the Washington news bureau of a major TV network; […]
    • Johnny Sandon
      Johnny Sandon was born William Francis Beck on 27 May 1941 ın […]
    • Man Called Harry Brent, A
      1 9 6 5 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes Company director Tom […]
    • Deadly Strangers (1975)
      This 1975 British psychological thriller begins with a violent […]
    • Katrina And The Waves
      Formed in Cambridge (UK) in 1981 – although there was […]
    • Play Away
      1 9 7 1 – 1 9 8 4 (UK) Approx 500 x 30 minute episodes […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.