London Transport RTs Last Day - 7th April 1979 

Just spotted 14 year old me in this dodging the traffic. I’d gone there on a Red Bus Rover from Banstead. Great memories, thank you for posting this.

Like many others I have my own personal memories of RT buses in the 60s and 70s. Although the RT was hit hard during the seventies , you sometimes didn't know just how lucky you were when you saw them still running and to ride on. Thanks to the failure rate of the Merlin, Swift and Fleetline that caused the RTs to carry on. Although Routemaster RMs took their crown by the early 70s RTs still looked right still very much recognisable. As with many, I was sorry to see them go in April 1979.

The last running day of any iconic type is so bittersweet. Wonderful footage 👍

I remember Barking when full of RT’s, was it really 40 + years ago....

I like your video, on that last day I took my RT 2233 there with some friends. I was pleased to see myself with my wife and friend. You got a clear shot of me stepping out into the road in Barkingside. I still got the same bus it's been off the road for 40 years and I'll be taking it to Barking in 2019. Very happy to see your video it's very good.

When I was not quite 14, for the only time in my life, my mum and dad took an active interest in my interests and they took me to a vintage bus rally. When I was there I saw an RT with a special via blind, which said that RTs had operated their final passenger service on Route 62 on April 7th 1979. The day of the rally? It was April 14th, so I was terribly crestfallen that I had in effect just missed it! 😰 That bus rally, I now realise, was on Easter Saturday. BTW, this was the last full month before Thatcher.

I was there, with my one year old daughter Sarah Jayne, never seen such crowds, much bigger than for the last RM imo.

What brilliant footage! Thank you for sharing this.

Wow, I was there over by the Preedy's Newsagents at Faircross.

Lots of us were back there again on Saturday

Amazing video. Love that you caught a couple of RMs too. Being born in 1978 in Romford, I can’t remember traveling on a RT or RM on the 87 which was my local bus route, with the 175. Though I assume I must have.

RT 1798 reg no. KYY 653 seen at the very end of this video is now part of the Claude Jessett collection, a lovely bus to drive

Fantastic, thanks for posting.

I was around 10 when that happened so I would remember that

Would of loved to have driven and RT ,gives me the hump when people call it a routemaster ,those I have driven in service 😊

1:50 - Weird seeing an OJD___R number plate on anything other than a bus!

They got a reprieve. They were supposed to be withdrawn by 1970 but were so reliable they were kept on probably because of the Merlins and Swifts getting withdrawn very early.

2:13 is that Barkingside Fulwell Cross?

anyone spot the model B type bus at 2:35 and at a couple of other points?

The conductor at the beginning of the video is my Father in law

Wow the first time i have seen footage of this

One RT at the London transport museum

R.T 1 was there, I think the same bus that in 1939 the American bus company bosses tried out for size as passengers??