Tube strike report 29th April 2014 15.02 Vintage buses have been hailed as easing the stress on commuters today as around 40 were used in the city to help commuters. In total TfL has run 7,961 buses today - 266 more than usual. Among the vehicles that have taken the strain off the truncated Tube network has been the green AEC (Associated Equipment Company) Regent Mark III. Built in the 1950s, the Regent Mark III was the forerunner of the red jump-on, jump-off, driver-and-conductor Routemasters which became a symbol of London in the last half of the 20th century. The Regent Mark IIIs were last produced in 1956 but were used by London Transport until the early 1970s. After they were phased out, a number went on to be used in Europe and the USA. Going back even further, there were some AEC-manufactured vehicles from the 1940s in service today, including some RT and RTL Type buses. Some old Routemasters were also back on the road. These included original Routemasters celebrating their 60th anniversary this year as well as the longer RML Routemasters and RMCs - a coach version of the Routemaster. One of the RMLs (bonnet No. RML2760) was the last ever Routemaster to be manufactured for London. The Routemaster was finally withdrawn from regular service in December 2005, with hundreds of bus aficionados vying to make the final journey on the Number 59 from Oxford Street to Brixton in south London. Routemasters still run on two tourist routes where they augment the existing service. The routes are route 9 from Olympia to Aldwych and route 15 from Trafalgar Square to Tower Hill. It was recognised that the Routemaster, with its high platform, was unsuitable for the needs of all passengers. But its passing was mourned, particularly by London Mayor Boris Johnson who vowed to introduce a modern, green successor. This resulted in the new Bus for London, a hop-on, hop-off vehicle designed by Northern Ireland-based Wrightbus and which first entered service in 2012. 13.41 Other commuters have welcomed the use of Routemasters which have been brought out onto Londons roads to ease the pressure being caused by the strikes. This was an Article on Line from the Guardian Website.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 22:44:17 +0000
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