Do you remember the old double-decker buses in London, where you could hop on and off at the back of the bus? They were called Routemasters, and they are back. Here is a New Routemaster approaching Parliament Square on the number 11 route. You can just see the London Eye in the background.
Sometimes a conductor stands at the back, and the door stays open. If not, then you have to wait until the bus stops, when all the doors open at once – at the front, middle and rear.
Inside the bus feels similar to the old Routemasters, but with all the new technology needed for Oystercards and contactless payment cards.
I’m happy to find a connection between London and Northern Ireland in these buses: they are built by Wrightbus in Ballymena.
If you are interested in vehicle number plates, you may be keen to know that the Routemasters have “LTZ” plates, which come from the Northern Ireland system of numbering, not the London system.
If your only concern is to get off the bus in the right part of Marylebone (maybe to get away from the passenger talking about number plates?), just press this button and leave through one of the many doors.
And if you want a souvenir of your London bus trip, why not join in the Bus Art charity auction and bid for a bus sculpture?
This is the Westminster Bus designed by Jenny Leonard.
The auction closes on 24th March 2015, so don’t miss the bus – click here for more details.
Distant Drumlin 