AEC Routemaster 1954 (prototype)

For us this is the greatest bus of all time without question. Stay tuned to the end to see it handbrake turn on a skid pan!

In this short film find out how its designer Albert Durant created an engineering miracle on a shoestring budget in economically depressed postwar Britain... with a design directly inspired by Halifax Bombers. It was intended to serve London for about ten years, but endured almost fifty from its first introduction in February 1956 until its controversial withdrawal in 2005. Although some buses still run on special routes.

A total of 2,876 Routemasters were built, with an estimated 1,280 of these still in existence today. Its innovative and iconic design has outlasted countless replacement types in London, and its open platform has split critics down the middle many praising its ease of boarding and alighting, whilst others were critical of its exposure to the elements (particularly in winter).

Back by popular demand, a 'New' Routemaster was released in 2012 a modern spin on the great 1950s icon

What makes it great… It's the ultimate red London Bus, an international mechanical superstar!

Time Warp… The average cost of a London bus fare in the 1950s was 1 pence just 24p in today's money

This film features Chris Barrie driving an original Routemaster.

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