Is the AEC Routemaster the World's Greatest Ever Bus?

[@cedricfarquharson5842]

Absolutely, definitely, no question. My aunt took me on a Routemaster in 1956 when I was seven years old. I was so captivated by the experience, I spent one third of my adult working life driving and repairing them in Hackney (Well Street), Tottenham, West Ham, Potters Bar and Finchley Garages. By far the most charismatic (and way ahead of it's time, engineering wise) bus ever (in my opinion) When I die I'm hoping Heavens golden paved roads will be full of Routemasters.

[@joansmith8215]

My partner was a mechanic at West Ham in the mid 70’s and agrees totally with your comments.

[@MA-naconitor]

4:34 the smile on the drivers face is priceless!

[@shadowstransport8412]

That’s Mikey from ensign I know him he’s amazing come to Southend next year to see him

[@damonwilliams5033]

A smiling bus driver?Not these days where I live!

[@ZIGZAG12345]

​@@damonwilliams5033 Honestly can you blame them!? Having someone else deal with the public whilst the driver drives in his own isolated little cabin must have been pretty sweet!

[@canardeur8390]

... and the presenter's question just after even more!

[@Michelle_Schu-blacka]

A masterpiece. I used to go to the West End on the weekend just so I could get on the Number 13. The cool thing is, you didn't even need to run for the bus on the journey home. Traffic was so slow you just keep walking until you catch up and jump on. And no air conditioning required in the summer. Just sit by the back. Sitting at the back of a Routemaster or the guards carriage on The Tube ... There was something childishly enjoyable about it.

[@LivegoodWilliam]

the first bus I drove in service... still my favourite to this day. one of the best things no dealing with passengers. all you had to do was drive

[@patagualianmostly7437]

Happy days indeed. Now, drivers have to put up with morons, devoid of any manners...even when not drunk/drugged up....and be expected to drive safely on Britain congested roads....all in the name of "progress". We've lost the plot.

[@milestone_achiever4634]

I remember having a few diecast models in 1/64 scale. Very popular toy item. 🚌Cool fact: Looking at the design of the Routemaster, low floor bus design is certainly not new. It only has evolved over the years.

[@milestone_achiever4634]

Judging by the drivers compartment, I noticed that it was a single cab enclosure.

[@damonwilliams5033]

You say the best thing about the bus was no dealing with passengers.I say the best thing about all these open rear platforms from a passengers point of view was no dealing with surly,miserable,ignorant bus drivers like we have everywhere today. Bring back the old buses and the friendly bus conductors!

[@BritishRail60062]

One of the finest buses ever made in history.

[@wernotdonewithu3132]

One of the finest motorized vehicles period. Considering the job they had to do daily, the conditions and the wear they have few peers.

[@alanevans7527]

Wot about the drivers, not good?. answers on a postcard please.

[@wharris302]

WeRnotDone WithU they had engine rebuilds and pretty much a new body every 4-6 years

[@calldfwp2230]

they're definitely better than the new routemasters, those don't even have ventilation systems.

[@decodolly1535]

@@calldfwp2230 Preach! With the environmental concerns, why the heck did they allegedly fit the new buses with air con which requires more energy to run? (I say 'allegedly' because I've yet to encounter functional AC on any new bus. In summer, they're utter sweat boxes.) They should have retained the opening windows up front on the top deck. Easy breeze as the bus rolls along, lovely cool passengers, no additional energy usage.

[@sethguest781]

A great bus, indeed, iconic and simply amazing! Never thought the performance was so outstanding, though!

[@decodolly1535]

So happy I was a child in the days when it was normal to hang off the back platform of a Routemaster. When the new buses came into service they used to run with the rear door open and a London Transport employed child to tell people not to stand by the open door. Came the day that I was on a bus bowling along Park Lane and moved to the platform ready to get off at my stop. As the child starts telling me how dangerous it is & I MUST sit down (?!) the driver had to swerve for some reason. The bus riding reflexes on this old girl kicked in and I was fine. The safety child had obviously not grown up hanging off a Routemaster, went straight out the back and vanished as the bus continued on it's merry way because the driver had absolutely no idea that he'd fallen off. (I laughed so hard I missed my stop.)

[@fatpikachu1712]

YEET the child

[@LegoWormNoah101]

Now I see why the open platform disappeared.

[@jonniejam-shovel6405]

As an ex London Transport employee, I joined LT on the 1st November 1971, where I started my engineering training at Poplar PR, Leven Road. I was 16 and I worked on Routemaster buses. It was a dirty job looking after the vehicles , but very interesting. I worked with ex trolleybus men who saw the RM bus brand new into service in 1959. These blokes very kindly took me under their wing, and showed me how easy the bus was to maintain. I did work on other types of buses during my training, but I could see that a great deal of thought had gone into the simplicity with regard to maintenance. For myself aged 65 I've retired but I still have good memories of my time at Poplar, although the garage closed down in November 1985. They were all good people in the garage, engineering and platform staff. It certainly was a great job for a youngster like me.😀👍

[@Sacto1654]

The very fact it had an automatic transmission and power steering made the Routemaster a pleasure to drive, especially on London's crowded streets.

[@jaggass]

Quite advanced for it's time.

[@LegoWormNoah101]

Tech that we see in cars and busses today

[@henrygingold6549]

Tech that was seen since the 1920s when Daimler mated a "fluid flywheel" to a preselector gearbox @@LegoWormNoah101

[@airzulu2733]

Greatest bus ever in my view . A british national treasure .

[@grahamh2424]

Having driven a Routemaster, plus many other types of bus. I would say it is the best.

[@roydavidlivermore4664]

Surely,the RT was years ahead of it’s time with air operated steering column controlled Pre selective gearbox,plus air brakes! At a time when most operators were still using crash box.

[@meggerbiddle]

its the best bus because it's the one on everyone's lips. Say 'london bus' or even 'double decker' and everyone imagines a red Routemaster. Most people know what a routemaster is. How many of your average people in the street know what an Enviro500 is or a Euro 6 ? 'nuff said

[@izaaka70]

or an l94ub for an actually good example

[@meggerbiddle]

introduced 1997 apparently. Ask again about your l94ub in 2057 and see if anyone knows what it is.

[@izaaka70]

Sadly i agree with u, breaks my heart😂

[@vorn29]

People know about the Titanic. Being on everyone's lips means nothing. The RM was a good bus for sure but I`m willing to bet when you mention London bus you don`t even know of the RT. The RM`s forerunner. 3 times as many built. The STL. The AEC Regal; the list goes on. Not to mention the Titan and Metrobus that came afterwards. All good designs. Can I name a better bus. Perhaps not but none of the designs I mention are really better than the other.

[@meggerbiddle]

Bum point. The titanic was notorious, not famous. The RM is a famous icon. The only other bus that comes close is the greyhound interstate coach.

[@rictusmetallicus]

In Germany we have buses. A whole lot of them, they're everywhere, in every city in every color imaginable. In England, they have THE LONDON BUS. I love London.

[@jpbdude4223]

And then just stagecoach and arriva everywhere and yeah we have a lot of buses too.

[@simonuden8450]

London isn't England - it's just one small part of it, and if you went anywhere else in the country, you'd see the Bristol Commercial Vehicles/Eastern Coach Works 'Lodekka'. Arguably, this was more advanced than the Routemaster, although it used vacuum brakes initially, was manual, and did not have power steering, it used a type of unibody construction that combined a light alloy chassis with a structural body, but crucially with a height that was a foot lower than a Routemaster - essential outside of the metropolis where they didn't have the luxury of being able to easily avoid low bridges. All this with no step from the platform to the lower saloon, and on the market years before the Routemaster. No argument, the Routemaster is iconic, because it's London's bus, and Bristol were banned from trading into the private sector, so its buses would never have appeared on London Transport's routes, but it was prolific everywhere where there was a nationalised bus service.

[@abhijeetsagade1418]

As a kid, my uncle bought me a double decker bus replica toy. That was my best toy ever. Glad to know its name - The Route Master

[@tattyshoesshigure5731]

It still looks contemporary today, some 65 years after the first prototype was created. My favourite version of this design classic is the twin headlight RMC Coach... in its original Green Line livery it was a truly beautiful machine to behold!

[@owenlewis8006]

The reason they lasted 50 years was that LT was totally committed to the model and went as far as having fully kitted out workshops that would give each bus a body off rebuild every 7 years making it like new again.

[@billywhippet]

owen lewis it was actually every 3-4 years

[@owenlewis8006]

Ah, ok thanks

[@LivegoodWilliam]

owen lewis when I was at London general driving the 11 route. we had ones with reconditioned engines. some of the newer buses couldn't keep up. the all had their own characters as well. I can count on one hand the amount of times we broke down in one... as I said my favourite vehicle to drive bar none

[@Fcutdlady]

William Kane we have a few Routemasters here in Dublin now. All of the ones that survived into the 2000's got Iveco engines did they not? Myself and nearly every. Dublin based bus enthusiast travelled to London for the last run of these buses on the 159, though I was in London to see my favourite band Marillion play. I stayed on the extra days catching the last of the routemasters . On the last day of service I decided to go to Stretham garage and photograph the last ones coming in. On the way up while queuing for a 159 at Oxford Street I was interviewed by sky news. I guess a woman bus enthusiast wearing a jacket covered in bus badges had a bit of freak value. Then when I got on the bus I was joined by members of buntings family who. Passed out glasses of champagne to toast the ending of the buses in general service. I had to ask the conductor for permission to stand on the platform to clear my head. Never drank so early in the day before or since!

[@gimble8638]

body off rebuild? mr barries video above says its a monocoque ;)

[@antonbrum5492]

Thanks Route master. My late father drove one of the first Route Master buses from Wilesden bus garage to Hackney. originally drove the RT and RTL on the Trafalgar route.

[@amithpai965]

Respect❤May His Soul Rest In Peace In Heaven❤Love From India🇮🇳❤🇬🇧

[@camperp195]

Loved driving these,i was one of the last to do the skid pan at chiswick ,it was still part of the PCV test then,carried on driving for LT till 94, then went coach driving,if you had a manual license like i did,coach companies bit your hand off to employ you as i think manual tests were phased out in the early 90;s and a lot of companies still had manual coaches,like van hools and setras,6 over 6 gearboxes,good times back then

[@greghuang2314]

Even as a New Yorker I must admit the Routemaster is the greatest public transit bus of all time. But coming in a close second place is the Rapid Transit Series (RTS), which revolutionized bus transportation across the US. NYC just retired its last one earlier this year, after ordering almost 5,000 of them between 1981 and 1999. For four decades these buses served nearly every bus route in the city, and have become one of NYC's most recognizable transportation icons (along with Redbird subway cars and the Ford Crown Victoria taxi).

[@thewhovianhippo7103]

Lol not as famous as the routemaster I did not know I existed untill your comment

[@fatpikachu1712]

They're the ones you see in The Day After Tomorrow, right?

[@Flaccidtetris]

@@fatpikachu1712 Yes

[@Flaccidtetris]

Are there any cities in America that still use them? Sadly I've missed the opportunity to see them in NYC along with the iconic Crown Vics

[@greghuang2314]

@@Flaccidtetris The only place they still run RTS is Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

[@TheFoodieCutie]

Let’s take a moment and appreciate the camera 🎥 work and the editing of this little piece.

[@JohnMurrayOP]

I am a Yank who grew up in London in 1970-1980s.loved this video!

[@mrk4016]

Definitely the most iconic.

[@HSMiyamoto]

I didn't know the Routemaster is made of aluminum. That must lower the center of gravity and make it more stable. The bus has a softer suspension than I expected.

[@chrishartley4553]

I suspect that doesn't make a difference. The monocoque frame was used to reduce the weight of the chassis. That implies the frame for the body is heavier bevause it is take a larger structural role so the difference in weight between the two is smaller: Lighter chassis and heavier body = higher center of gravity. And yeah, I know, monocoque implies there is no difference between body and chassis. Aluminium was used the reduce the overall weight.

[@joebutlersnr7017]

Lots of buses had aluminum body panels not just the routy..

[@HSMiyamoto]

I rode a doiuble-decker bus in Oceanside, CA a couple years ago. I am pretty sure it was a retired Routemaster and it was being used to shuttle people to "Harbor Days" from the train station. Double-deckers are essentially novelties in North America.

[@althejazz]

Er, the RT body was built to drawings owing almost everything to aircraft design.That was carried forward to the RM. Most of the design work on the RM was done by Colin Curtis and Douglas Scott. I had to change a side & skirt panel on an RM about 12 years ago and when I took the panels off, the framing was exactly the same as when the bus left Park Royal. The only thing on an RM that is affected by rust are the steel brake pipes which carry the hydraulic fluid for the brakes, NOT brake fluid by the way, but hydraulic fluid as brake fluid rots the brake cylinder seals and also those in the brake accumulators, which have to be charged with nitrogen at regular intervals. Still the best bus in the world. Bojos Crudemasters are crap compared with an RM, with bodies by Wright Brothers of Ballymena. Drivers at Chalk Farm have been complaining about them for years. Best bus I ever drove was the single deck RF - drove like a Rolls-Royce.

[@bobrussell3602]

I remember the first time I ever saw one. It was love at first sight !

[@prof.hectorholbrook4692]

Very good! Shows Routemaster's pre-eminence as a 'bus WORLDWIDE.

[@boxstersjm69u]

Wow, a power steering bus 50 years ago...amazing indeed

[@Blueforlifefry]

Definitely an iconic bus. Quality and innovation and definitely of its time.

[@lucywucyyy]

i wish they still had these driving around

[@bonkeydollocks1879]

They still have ten heritage ones in regular service in London, for the tourists and the like

[@majordendrocopos]

Fifty years ago I drove buses in and around Bath, mostly Bristol Lodekka buses from the 1950’s and 1960’s, very similar looking double deckers. The older ones only had power assisted brakes, steering and everything else was manual, but they were surprisingly light to steer and a real pleasure to drive once you got used to them. No synchromesh gearbox so you had to double declutch to change down. When I was training I thought I would never get the knack but eventually I did and it also became very enjoyable.

[@stevesales4263]

I also started off in the Lodekkas and Leyland PD3 (Southdown Queen Mary full cab). You are correct, once you learnt to drive them properly they were smooth. Initially a bucket was required to collect all the cogs!

[@kelvinbremont1341]

Nothing will ever top these buses!! NOTHING!! They are the true buses of London! 🙌

[@kmate0304]

The Brits had the AEC Routemaster, us inside the "Iron Curtain" had the Ikarus 200 series.

[@Dunstire]

Can't believe that London Transport knocked these out for 2 grand when they decommissioned.They're worth a mint now

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

LT had more of these than they needed so they sold them for dirt cheap so they could make a quick buck because they were worth scrap money back in the 80s and then their value started increasing after they stayed in service in newly privatised bus operators upto 2005 which is when they started becomming iconic...

[@tobiaszistler]

Emily Bishop anf for what gain ? Nothing.

[@DANEBLUEGNOME]

Maybe Routemaster buses being upgraded for new Routemaster buses create not redevelopment, I think. Probably miss these love the Routemaster buses, isn't, huh?! 😒

[@ROCKINGMAN]

As a child the RM, RT and RF were to be seen all around London and further afield too on country routes. The RF was great, The RT was great but did look slightly dated, but the RM never looked dated to me. Loved them all but the RM just had the edge on looks in it's original condition.

[@zennor_man]

Engineering & design perfection....

[@pierrepinson2906]

🇬🇧I visited London for the first time on may 1999. I was lucky, it was sunny and there were old red route masters EVERYWHERE and old black taxis like the end 60 ies 70 ies years... 🇬🇧There were do charming, Your French bus was behind a double deckers bus...🇬🇧And i saw BIG BEN, Trafalgar square and stop at Marble arch....🇬🇧When we get of your bus, we saw the HORSES-GUARDS on the street and next a old taxi ...It was CLICHÉ but it is true.... I don't know why, but all was different and fun in LONDON.....I returned in LONDON in 2013...They are new modern TAXIS and the BUSES......I was happy to watch old BUSES in OXFORD STREETS:-)......

[@403CLT]

The same bus my great grandfather drove in London in the 1960s for over 20 years and never once had an accident with them

[@billywhippet]

It's a no brainer, of course it's the. I worked on them at Chiswick and Aldenham works, was an apprentice welder, best time of my life

[@jimshepard7099]

As a passenger on the RM's they also were very comfortable , especially the back seat upstairs which had an arm rest .

[@johno4521]

I grew up with the Northern front entrance ones, and the VERY strange one-off 'Tynesider', rather unkindly dubbed 'Northern's abortion'....

[@althejazz]

The reason for the arm rest was because the seat was next to the n/s destination blind box just the same as on the RT. No arm rest, you would have been resting your arm on a metal plate

[@akshaysankarshana2405]

Fifth Gear: Hold My Beer! [Proceeds to drag race and drift a Double-Decker Bus]

[@PaulLee-fr9ld]

Thanks Aec all its bus ever makes with half~cab design that brought us every dream from zero to present.

[@RRansomSmith]

Wut

[@Ezrakarasik98]

the most fascinating bus ever

[@charlottecolmer8177]

Thanks Rimmer 🫡

[@TheChicagoL]

I'm really, really impressed with these buses!! I was always under the impression that because of their taller height (being double-deckers), the center of gravity would likewise be greater, making them easier to roll over or over turn in the event of tight or sharp maneuvers. But that "skid" maneuver (4:20 - 4:38) was an eye-opener for me!!!! I wish I could have had a chance to ride one on the streets of London before they were retired.

[@Twittler1]

They all had to pass a rollover test before going into service and after overhauls. They were put on a platform which tilted them over. I believe the target angle was 42.5 degrees off vertical before the raised wheels lost contact with the platform. More modern double-deckers appear to be even more stable, not leaning as much in bends as the RM and it’s predecessors did.

[@grassytramtracks]

Well, double deckers are more likely to roll over and are less stable than single deck and bendy buses

[@Xerroxi]

the smile on his face durin his drift says it all :D

[@jonniejam-shovel6405]

Also, from an ex bus engineers perspective the good old RM was easier to work on. When I joined LT in 1971 as an engineering garage trainee at Poplar, many of the older engineering staff were nearing retirement. These men saw the RM brand new into service at PR in 1959, displacing the Trolleybuses. For those blokes the RM was the best.👍

[@patrickdonohue6307]

being a london bus driver .i passed my driving test on one , and drove them out of victoria garage

[@John-wz7yu]

Now that's a proper bus not like the horrible boxes on wheels we have today

[@kristinajendesen7111]

Yes! And if it's well maintained, clean and tight injectors etc - it will run rings around a modern bus. We used to pull away in 2nd (normal auto position) and when the gearbox changed up to third - shift the lever to 3rd and get the most out that, then shift to 4th. Brilliant buses to drive.

[@colinmiller5502]

We're they pre-select?

[@patagualianmostly7437]

@@colinmiller5502 I recall an (oldish) AEC Coach in the 60's.... with a Pre-Select box. Unfortunately, I was only a kid and no-one at the time could explain the principle to me...but I was mesmerised....it was "magic" to me to watch. If I recall, it was a device on the left of the steering column, an aluminium casing.....and the driver seemed to select what he wanted when he wanted, as he anticipated the road ahead....it all seemed very odd at the time... But I am sure there was still a clutch pedal involved.... Weird huh? Cheers.

[@cigmorfil4101]

@@colinmiller5502 No that was the RT. The only thing to remember when manually selecting gears was that if you stopped in 3rd the drive would disengage - you had to put it back into 4th (drive) or 1st/2nd. The Leyland titan had an interesting gear select: you selected the highest gear the box would use, but if the box was already in a higher gear it would not go up, but would go down as necessary until under the highest gear selected. There was also a feature that when the selector went into any position from neutral it would select the correct gear for the road speed. You could drive them "semi-manually" by selecting H2, H3, H2, H3 (or even H2, Neutral-H2, neutral-H2, neutral-H2) as you accelerated and the box would select 2, 3, 4, 5. The only preselect gear was first. With a heavy load and uphill start you would put the gear select in H1 and when it engaged put the lever back in H5; the Titan would pull away in first and then change up as normal, going down to a minimum of 2 For a couple of titans I drove the box tended to 'bang" into gears and driving them semi-manually gave a smoother ride The only thing I can say about driving the RM I didn't like was that the cab is rather cramped for someone like me with long legs - after half a duty on the 11s my legs practically collapsed when I got out, unlike any other bus (and coach) I've driven.

[@steviedoubleu1844]

Depend on your point of view, really. The Routmaster speaks quality and innovation and is a great bus, no doubt, but obviously things move on and improve. Best bus of its time.....definately!

[@towmlvb3423]

"definately????"... Oh Gawd, I thought that one was an American invention. See mr k get it right in the next comment. No doubt the Routemaster is part of Britain's heritage, but so is the English language, and to a far more substantial degree. Quite definitely. Oh! I see there is a video for the AEC Regent... I shall hold very tight when I go to that one! Oh, ding-ding!

[@choppy249]

Yes things do always move on but they do not always improve . Sometimes they get worse and Bus design has got worse over the years . Ask anyone who works on them like myself , a driver or the engineers who have to keep them running. Some things do improve on modern buses , yes that is true but many vitally important things get worse . As a driver myself for many years now I find generally speaking that the older a bus is , the easier it is to drive and funnily enough the safer it feels too . Certainly on many newer buses the all round vision is NOT as good as on the older vehicles . They have design features that quite frankly are stupid , they get in the way and restrict the drivers line of vision quite dramatically . I can’t speak for every new bus of course but I have driven around 30 different models now and generally that is what I and most of my colleagues find . Then there is the reliability of course and the ease of working on them . We not so long ago had a brand spanking new fleet of about 18 buses delivered to our depot and everyone thought ‘ great , this will be good now ‘ . However from the start , almost every single driver ‘ hated’ driving them . There were so many problems and they were constantly going wrong and causing lost mileage . One night after about six months of using them I broke down , for the umpteenth time and had to call out an engineer . The garages top , longest serving engineer came out to try and get me going and I asked him , ‘ why the problems with these brand new buses ‘ and he said , ‘ It’s because they are total failures and a waste of money and the garage will have to cut their losses and get rid of them all soon ‘ . He explained quickly that generally , the more modern a bus is the more difficult it is to work on and the longer it takes , plus the newer they are , the less reliable they are . Basically the newer the bus , the more there is to go wrong with it . I was amazed at what he told me but sure enough before 18 months had passed the company had to get rid of and sell off cheap this fleet of 18 new buses . Obviously there will be some exceptions to this and it is possible to get a decent new design bus but from what I have heard , speaking to many , many people in the industry , it seems that modern bus design has gone BACKWARDS . It is like they are trying to be too clever and re design the shape of an egg . Changes are being made , just for the sake of change and so called progress when really it would be better to stick to what they know works . And Routemaster buses plus RTs and a few others were top notch , well thought out ideas that worked and stood the test of time . Minor adjustments and small changes could have easily been made to them to keep them up to date with modern safety requirements etc . But no they went instead for wholesale change and the result has been disastrous . In the last 25 or so years some garages have seen around 20 or more different bus models and designs tried out to try and replace the old Routemasters and RTs . And yet before that with the RMs and RTs etc you had a few models lasting the garage out for 40 years or so. It doesn’t take much thought to see that something has gone badly wrong in bus design over the past 20 years by looking at that fact does it .

[@LegoWormNoah101]

@@choppy249 The general reason for this unreliability: more parts to break, more money to make

[@RichardDavey-u9p]

Yes, the Route master is by far the best bus ever built. The long version is best. I drove them for many years.

[@harold5337]

Truly fantastic video of the AEC Routemaster Bus.

[@juliesmith5567]

Double decker busses are and still are the are the best but now we also we have the single there is no arguing between the two I've always loved traveling and always will on the busses,

[@kelvinbremont1341]

London made the biggest mistake withdrawing this beautiful bus from regular service. I mean For god sake it’s a beautiful London icon. In Icon that gets the attention from tourists everywhere. If it was having financial issues or it wasn’t financially unsustainable then I’m sure it could have been resolved some how. And as for it not being wheel chair accesible then the handicap should find different buses to ride on(no disrespect). These buses were a beautiful part of London and all of England. Who says they can’t co-exist with the modern day buses?

[@Twittler1]

A bit difficult for someone in a wheelchair to find a different bus if the route you need to use is run by RMs. and well done saying something grossly disrespectful and then forgiving yourself by saying ‘no disrespect’! Idiot. Also nothing lasts forever - eventually metal fatigue will set in, and the most well kept of these vehicles will end up as static museum pieces, unable to withstand the stress of moving, and fundamentally dangerous if they did.

[@Patmofar]

The Routemaster, one of the great icons of twentieth century engineering.

[@HSMiyamoto]

I dig all the period costumes. Well done!

[@justinneill5003]

Used to go to school on one. That boarding platform was brilliant, everyone jumping on & off while it was moving, getting yelled at by those bus conductors. I’ll never forget one chubby schoolboy who was late, chasing us down the street as we cheered him on from the upstairs rear window. The bus slowed down in traffic which allowed him to grab the rail but accelerated again before he could jump on. He was determined to hang on despite the conductor bellowing at him, but when he finally let go his legs were going in fast motion and he couldn’t stop; he continued to flounder wildly along the road like Norman Wisdom as we left him behind, before inevitably being sent sprawling in the road, satchel and all. He was fine by the way. We usually were, in those days.

[@patagualianmostly7437]

Justin Neill ...thanks for that.... Ah yes..... When we all could have a laugh and live to tell the tale....without fear from the PC BS Brigade..... Jeeze...the poor sods today.... A pencil sharpener is a weapon of mass destruction and to be feared...very greatly....in the wrong hands of course: Someone without a Hi-Viz vest, lacking eye-protection and suitable leather gloves....(Erase that, I've gone & upset the veggies now....) but you catch my drift. Happy days..."in those days"... Cheers.

[@WardyLion]

I hate buses but I’d be telling fibs if I said I wasn’t pleased to have ridden on a Routemaster (just the once). Also, that driver going for it on the skid pan was clearly having a great day at work - nice one!

[@acampbell8614]

So, the Routemasters replaced the trolleybuses and now trams are making a comeback. If zero emissions are a goal, why is no one talking trolleybuses again? All the zero emissions advantages of trams but without the expense of laying track down the middle of the road. Just string up your wires and go. Plenty of successful trolleybus designs to base a modern example on, the LT Q1 for example.

[@daveyr5462]

I love Chris Barrie's enthusiasm. He's like a little boy in a toy-shop but who knows his stuff and who gets great joy and pleasure from Zeppellins to the Routemaster to a steam lorry. I think that he'd be great on Top Gear to take us back to the mechanics and engineering and true performance of every great machine. No offence to The Hamster, Jezza and May but Chris Barrie is more interested in the engineering than quick laughs and throwaway remarks that dominated TG from 2003-05 onwards.

[@joshuahalla.k.a.controlla6333]

Great video. ☺️

[@saturndesigns2339]

Went to London last year. Only saw one. Must be a shame to loose these. My whole life I've been looking at crown Vic taxis in NYC and now the last ones are finally being phased out

[@markcf83]

They only run on a heritage route nowadays. As late as 1987 there were still close to a thousand of these magnificent buses on the streets of the Capital........

[@steve5915]

I drove one of these for 6 years out of putney (af) garage they were the best

[@alicanharryreilly8353]

The Routemasters will be turning 70 next year at Chiswick Business Park the Former site of Chiswick Works Organised by Routemaster Association in July 2024 Which is Next Year

[@gemlites]

lovely , lovely buses !!!!! I was lucky enough to use them regularly - happy days !!!!!!

[@kd84afc]

+gemlites I only passed my PSV license last year, But been lucky enough to drive these buses

[@omkr0122]

What a cool looking bus!

[@davidluck4608]

It’s the Best Omnibus because I served an apprenticeship at AEC Southall in 1969 and then went onto Driving the RM’s out of Uxbridge LT Garage during the 1980s…… Definitely the Finest DOUBLE DECK omnibus ever produced, and built to last…… AEC ….Gone but not Forgotten ❤️

[@Fcutdlady]

3 of them run here in Dublin now. Vintage tea trips and the gin and tonic experience. I love photographing them.

[@Fcutdlady]

@Online Stranger you're quite right. how in the name of jumpping janey did i miss that. I used to travel on those all the time here in Dublin and photographed them a lot . I could identify them half a mile away with one eye closed . This must have been at Ensign bus in Purfleet. They took a good lot of our olympians and sold them on.

[@TAMS1952]

The sole deficiency of the routemaster was its heating system. It was a forced heating system that functioned only when the bus was in motion. During the winter months, its effectiveness was severely compromised. Consequently, most conductors preferred to work on the RT buses during the winter, as the heating system operated similarly to that of a car. Provided that the engine was running, even at idle, continuous heating was ensured. I knew many conductors that would try and swop shifts in the winter to work an RT operated route if their garage had mixed stock.

[@RaymondFunnell-bs1wl]

We were riding on Routemaster buses at Imber on 17th August 2024 across Salisbury Plain

[@christineriseley1816]

ONE OF THE BEST BUSES TO RUN IN LONDON THE RT BEING MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE.....

[@heathermcglade4166]

The greatest, and best looking bus ...ever !!

[@richardwalker1880]

The rout master is thee very Best London bus ever 1 of the finest and better built

[@airzulu2733]

For me the greatest british double decker of all time was the routemaster. And if theres another the RT . Which like the routemaster just seemed to go on . One things for sure it represented britain in many ways from films to airline tourist posters selling london . You nearly always see a London bus . RT/RM . Both national British gems .

[@Finnmarken91]

Why we ever had to stop production 😔

[@alansklenar2848]

It might have been the best bus line the UK.There were several good busses here in the US

[@anindrapratama]

Does the RTS count?

[@stevedickson5853]

A member of Red Dwarf on a big Red bus..who'd think it..😂

[@dan.m.e6259]

I actually laughed watching the bus power slide sideways 🤣 Fantastic! 👍

[@AFaceintheCrowd01]

Could someone explain to me why they got rid of these wonderful buses?

[@richardwalker1880]

Beautiful old bus the Route master and they were built to last pre war and in the 1940 s and 1950s and still going strong along with the old clippie

[@matthewq4b]

The routemaster is iconic for sure the greatest ever ? That might be a stretch. I think that title goes to the GM new look. First built in 1958 with it and it's variants still in transit service today. With a total production of some 44,000 units, and used from the blistering Desert conditions of the American south-west to the Arctic conditions of Northern Canada and the harsh rust belt conditions of the northeastern US and south-central Canada. No other bus has the production numbers, the longevity of service nor seen those extremes of harsh operating conditions and matched it's reliability.

[@dandestecroix5553]

I used to drive them old girl's and loved them for 3 years number 11 from Waterloo bus station

[@mikeyh1111]

Should still be in use!

[@michaelmartin9022]

They're temporarily retired while we wait for things to get better. Much in the way classic minis have had their production temporarily suspended.

[@thewhovianhippo7103]

Some still are but they have been mostly replaced by the 2 new ones

[@davidsiler5505]

So that's how the driver gets in.

[@ChrisArtell]

I know these things well. One of my good friends has one that we are slowly rebuilding. It sat in a forest in Tennessee for 30 years.

[@patagualianmostly7437]

That sounds interesting....Have you a link of any kind? Would love to follow your progress. Cheers.

[@matthewseligman5470]

How does a British Routemaster end up abandoned in the woods of Tennesee...for 30 YEARS?!?!

[@thewhovianhippo7103]

How did a British vehicle end up in usa

[@markpritchard]

I used to be a bus driver and i hated driving the things, However, i have allways wanted a go in a routmaster, Have never driven one but one day i hope to get a chance.

[@hjp1hjp22]

RM 200 VLT200 was the Routemaster used on the skidpan in an On the Buses film, driven by Stan Butler, with Inspector Blakey falling off the rear platform, thankfully not hurt.

[@damonwilliams5033]

The use of a skidpan goes way,way back.There is footage on KZbin from the 1920s and early 30s of London General S,K and ancient B type buses performing the same manoeuvre.

[@Darwenhypnotherapy]

A wonderful bus,but only in London sadly,I can remember AEC'S in our bus fleet,my own personal favourites being the the Regent and the Reliance - the latter being a single deck bus,most of which were Crossley badged AEC's British Leyland have much to answer for!

[@stevesales4263]

AEC Reliance was a great vehicle. I had an AEC reliance 760 coach which was even better than the buses.

[@damonwilliams5033]

I grew up in Oxford in the 1960s.City Of Oxford Motor Services,our local bus company were staunch supporters of AEC buses for decades.It had Bridgemasters which had box like ugly bodies,Renowns,but never tried Routemasters which I would have liked to see.Apart from BEA,the only other company which bought Routemasters from new was Northern General which ran modified Forward entrance models.

[@benter-berg1642]

when you get badass and start drifting a bus!

[@bluefin2349]

Ben Ter-Berg my dad driving for 45 years and he drove the rm once he went on the curb in the rain and the bus was sliding at 30 mph so he corrected it he was soo lucky that there was no cars coming on that Friday night

[@rondobson9774]

The routemaster is the best bus I worked as a conductor on them out of new cross in the 70s along with a few rts on routes 1 21 37 53 141 and 171

[@emeraldzebra9360]

Nothing better than when you get one these days still on the original engine. Not swapped for another bus maker or god forbid a Dennis Dart engine!!!

[@orion45]

i'd say the ROutemaster is the king of european buses, but the GMC Fishbowl is the king of North American buses

[@robertcampbell9946]

The Leyland Olympic M.C.W is up there with this bus . Any bus that stand up in Cuba South, South America & Jamaican terrain cant be frowned at. Theres quite a few still operating in South America .We have a few Olympics that still in Jamaica from the 60s & there's one thats still in use though not in public service & is mounted on a Leyland Buffalo chassis..theres one thats used as a hostel bus & is in good condition despite parked almost 40 yrs . If you wished to see it , google hostel buses in Jamaica & you will see it.Jamaica was the only country to get the Olympics with lighted billboards over the windows which would make it the rarest Leyland Olympic bus in the world.

[@stevedickson5853]

Not much view upstairs on a GMC fishbowl bus ...😁

[@greghuang2314]

At least in NYC the king is the RTS

[@111jacare]

My thoughts are that the Volvo B59 buses that were delivered to the State Transport Authority in Adelaide, Australia, would have to be a good contender if not as the best bus, the second best bus in the world. The B59 was a bus that served with minimal maintenance requirements for 25 years, as per legislation, buses on route service are not allowed to be older than 25 years old. They had full air brakes, a carrying capacity of 78 passengers sitting and standing, and were known for their ease of handling. According to one of the drivers that I knew, the B59 was designed with a very long life in mind. A lot longer than the 25 years allowed in law. Bus #1300 was to be used for half shifts, and was on the road nearly every day, bailing out the MAN bus fleet! It was said that the MAN buses were keeping the mechanics employed, and the Volvo buses just kept rolling along. Am not sure how often the B59 buses needed to be rebuilt. My friend also passed comment that #1300 was in better nick than a 10 year old MAN! The only downside to the B59 was the fact that they only had a 2 speed automatic gearbox, with a top speed of 80 km/h (50 m.p.h.), and not much in the way of a retarder for working in hilly terrain.

[@markcf83]

The short answer is YES.

[@almelling6699]

Ok Chris...... but you did say....The best bus ever..... maybe we should say......we beg to differ.

[@Bazzemboi]

If I ever go to london, I must take a ride in a one and also try the cab.

[@jimdoyle8757]

My favourite bus of all time growing up in london just hop on and off wen i woz a kid and wanted to go to the top of the road hop on wile the clippy woz upstairs and jumped off wen he came down happy days 😂

[@sobelou]

Probably yes. It has to be a remarkable design to be in reliable service for such a long time.

[@Ulsterbusman129]

Maybe the best bus in existence

[@ShoaibKhan-bz5qm]

Best bus in the world bar none

[@nightplumber1]

Easily the best bus ever, remember watching the new rm's on the 220 as they passed wormwood scrubs, must have been a hundred buses on this route in those days, glory days!!!!