Before the Route master |
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A horse drawn omnibus, London, 1850
© TopFoto.co.uk |
In 1829, a horse-drawn carriage running from Paddington to Bank became London's first-ever bus. It was named the "omnibus", from the Latin word meaning "for all"; the main drawback of the horse drawn trams and omnibuses was their running costs.
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Twentieth century: motor-buses and electric trams
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En 1898 el 1º omnibus motorizado recorrió las calles de Londres luego de que la ley que limitaba la velocidad máxima de 2 millas por hora para los transportes sin caballo, fue derogada. |
London's last trolleybus ran from Wimbledon to Fulwell on May 9, 1962 (der.)
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In July 1901 London's first electric-powered tram service, began to be operated by, London United Tramways (LUT)
By the early-1950s trolleybuses provided a non-polluting, quiet and comfortable method of public transport, in the immediate pre-Route master era.
A cross between a tram and a bus, these red, double-decker vehicles were powered by electricity via poles attached to overhead wires and ran on pneumatic tires, not rails.
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 RT1420 / RT1 at the RT50 celebrations, 1989.
Photo, used with permission, by BusSpotter.
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In 1939 the RT model was created by Albert Arthur Molteno Durrent, a chief engineer of London Transport's Bus and Coach Division. It was a type of double-decker hop-on hop-off bus which replaced trolley buses and trams and took engineering to a new level by combining style with passenger comfort. As director of tank research and development during world war two, Durrent had come into contact with the latest break-throughs in aircraft production, such as using lighter metals and interchangeable parts, and used these techniques in the development of the RT bus. |
In 1954, the first Route master bus was built. |
The new Routemaster RM was introduced to London in 1956 and its design was advanced for the time.
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However, London Transport was constantly looking ahead to new possibilities in bus design.
The Route master bus was developed during the period 1947-1956 by a team led by Douglas Scott.
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Route master upper deck seats
© Cognitive Applications.
Route master stair reflector
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The RM differed from other London designs because it was made of integral construction
By using a light all-aluminum body for the RM, it was possible to produce a 64-seat bus within the weight limits of the older 56-seat RT bus. More passengers could be carried and more comfortably, to try and entice the growing number of car owners onto public |
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Its two main advantages were the open platform at the rear and the presence of a conductor to collect fares. The platform allows large numbers of people to get on and off quickly at stops. And the conductor collecting fares while the bus is moving reduced the time spent waiting at stops – perfect for busy London streets. |
Route master stair, © Cognitive Applications |
To increase the life of the bus they built it entirely in aluminum: the less it weighs, the more it lasts. |
Route master stair, © Cognitive Applications |
After the 2nd war, the London Transport began to employ women as conductors.
In the 1970s, Many of London's bus routes switched to modern "one-person operation" (OPO), out of a desire to reduce operating costs and address staff shortages. However, it has been found that the increased waiting time at stops resulting from boarding passengers having to pay the driver causes delays, especially on busy routes, and leads to "bunching" of buses and poor service. In an attempt to improve matters, in central London bus tickets are now bought from street-side machines before boarding.
In 1968 the last Route master was put into service, from 1956 to 1968, 2678 buses have been built.
Withdrawal of Route masters began in 1982 but was largely halted by 1988, with comparatively few withdrawn between then and 1992, when a program was instituted to refurbish 500 of the RML type for ten years' further service. This work, which included updating the interior to modern tastes and re-engining, was carried out by Mainline, TBP and Leaside Buses, and was completed in 1994 in time for the privatización of the subsidiaries of London Buses Limited. This saw the Route master fleet divided amongst nine new companies.
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Logotipo del 50 aniversario del modelo Route master |
In 2004 the Route master celebrated its 50th anniversary, many people from all over the world and a lot of buses came to London to enjoy the party. |
  
Some of the buses at the 50th anniversary |
The last day
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Government legislation requires full accessibility to wheelchair users by 2017 under the Disability Discrimination Act.As a consequence of this,
On 9 December 2005, the Route master was officially withdrawn from general service, although it remains in regular service on two 'heritage' routes.
From all over the world the announcement spawned a campaign to save the bus, those who didn’t agree with the retirement of the bus, argued something, although funny but true, they said: If we have to standardize and update the public services, why not chang the face of the Big Ben to a digital one?...
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RM2217 freshly painted, arrives at the Garage in Streatham on the 159 for the last time. As thousands of people bring the four-lane road to a standstill, police try to clear the way to enable it to cover the last few yards for the last time. John Hyde.
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Thursday 8 December was selected as the final day for the Route master’s official "regular service". To commemorate this, on the final day a large number of preserved RMs and RMLs, plus a number of their predecessors from the "RT" family, made guest appearances on route 159. A huge number of people, not just enthusiasts, took the opportunity to take a ride on one of the buses to say farewell to these famous vehicles.
For many people, Route master buses evoke nostalgic feelings, and the announcement spawned a campaign to save the bus. Two heritage routes have been introduced to keep the Route master alive in London. Although 2005 saw the gradual phasing out of the Routemaster, it will be remembered through films, TV shows, pop videos, postcards and guide books.
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Routemaster with the graphics of Harry Potter´s film..
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