Of all the routemasters in all the streets in all the world ...who could have foretold at the time of capturing the image, that of the original fleet of 2876, this particular bus (No.15) would be the one destined to be the sole survivor of London Transport's bus heritage stemming back to1954?
 
I have fond memories of travelling on the routemaster busesboth as a visitor to the capital when I’d travel down to London from ‘Up North’ and later as a resident Londoner…such fun!
 
The bus conductors were real personalities then...they were like friendly human octopi with hands & eyes everywhere in order to keep track of who had jumped on, off, needed help to disembark, who’d paid or was due to pay etc, who needed change, directions etc…and the ticket machines!Oh! I’m a bit of a hoarder…I wouldn’t be surprised if one day I found an old ticket wedged between the leaves of an old diary somewhere…
 
The best time to travel on a routemaster?? Early morning New Years Day. Bus travel was free for all! Travelling home was such a blast! Wherever you’d celebrated, be it Trafalgar Square, night club or crossing the city to return home from a friends's party, riding home was like jumping into an impromptu high octane street party.
 
Unlike most ‘normal’ day to day bus journeys, people spoke to each other, they laughed, sang, chatted & shouted at high volume; huggin’ n a kissin’, some exchanging phone numbers, strangers forging new friendships, people dancing around the pole at the back of the bus prior to jumping off into the night…
Really special times… The Routemaster ….a special & very unique form of public transportation….sadly missed...at least by me...
 
To fans of theses buses – if you’d lke a glimpse of what they looked like when in circulation – look out for replays of the classic  70’S comedy ‘ On the Buses’...
 
(*** the same bus appears in my 'Eleanor Cross Tower & No.15 ' photo in this collection (taken 'by chance' in 2011 )***

London W1/ ©2006