I was a conductor on the RMs and I still am with a company which provides these icons for weddings and school proms. Best job in the world working with the best bus in the world.
The early to mid 80s was the best. The white roundel, Routemasters with their perfect British engine sounds, Leyland National single deckers as well as the Leyland Titans, Olympians and MCW Metrobuses.
I traveled on Routemasters from their early days of trolleybus replacement until 2005. Good that you could hop on, hop off, in traffic, but it’s days were numbered due to ‘elf & safety, as well as becoming difficult to get parts after so many years.
Front engined double deckers were the Leyland Titan, Guy Arab, Daimler CVG, Bristol LD (Lodekka), and AEC Regent that operated outside London. The AEC Routemaster had a unique front that is iconic of London. LT Routemaster withdrawals started in 1982, and over half of the 2760 built had gone within a decade.
Routemasters were in my blood, they replaced the Trolleybuses in Tottenham, I went to school on them the 41, went everywhere on them. A handsome bus , a classic bus that still looks fresh in 2016. Funny how a country that started the industrial revolution and could design and build a bus without equal anywhere seems to have given up on excellence. The boris masters will not go the distance like the RMs and all there derivitive did. as an ex pat living in Sydney the only colour for a London bus is RED, no fancy colour schemes, no hints of other colours just RED
I emigrated to New Zealand in 1974, so I was fortunate not to see the demise of these beautiful buses. They're still travelling the streets in my memory, especially my regular ones, the 101, the 15, and the 272 routes.
Why get rid of London history and heritage those buses was built for the job you can not beat them they even Look the part London will never be the Same without them that's a fact
as a driver I loved driving them on routes 77,77a,192,37,88 and I was fortunate to drive the last one fitted at Aldenham depot with a new steering box, drove like a Rolls Royce, they got rid of them due to money not heritage no one said they couldn't run them side by side with the newer stock.
They can flog the point of open desk buses being dangerous as much as they like. But the main reason from switching away from this type design was so that customers would have to get on the new bus by passing the driver first. This way the driver could take the fare money so doing away with the conductor hence saving a huge amount in the cost of wages.
So sad I Iive in Oz and my mate has a 1968 routemaster but with a front door not a platform at the back converted to a mobile home/ Been round Australia twice and still painted red
