On this page: Mainstream Withdrawal | Route 159 Withdrawal | Evolution of the Heritage Routes |

Routemaster Withdrawal

Mainstream Withdrawal

In summer 2003 there were 20 crew operated routes running over 500 Routemasters on London’s streets, the cull began with Route 15 shortly followed by Routes 11 and 23, and by summer 2005 that number had been slashed to fewer than 100 Routemasters running three routes. Time was quickly running out for London’s Routemaster.

Routemaster operation was withdrawn from Route 13 and 38 in October and Route 159 ended in December 2005.

Number	Route	End Date
13	Golders Green - Aldwych	21^st October 2005
38	Victoria Station – Clapton Pond	28^th October 2005
159	Streatham Station – Marble Arch	9^th December 2005

As had become customary, “special workings” ran on the last day of crew operation to see off the Routemasters from their respective routes. An account of the special workings on Route 159 “Enthusiast’s Day” (8^th December) and of the final day of mainstream crew operation (9^th December) can be read below.

159 Withdrawal – The Last Route

159 Rear Blind (vv) Streatham Station via Streatham Hill, Brixton, Kennington, Westminster, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Regent Street, Oxford Street - hows that for via points! The end of an era.

After 50 years loyal service, London’s most loved bus rings “ding ding” for the final time. Route 159 is the last mainstream Routemaster route, solely crew operated. December 9^th sees the conversion of this route to diver only double deckers. Not only does December mark the end of Routemaster operation, but it also marks the end of crew operation and half cab buses. Yes, it is something to be proud of that this great capital city has an entire bus fleet of low floor, wheelchair accessible buses, but let us not forget how this was achieved. Let us also not forget the crews; conductors and drivers, who have worked together forming close friendships, some of whom faced redundancy. The full story is told below.

Advert: You can still enjoy a ride on a Routemaster on Heritage Routes 9 and 15

For their last week of operation Routemasters gained special advertisements outside

“You can still enjoy a ride on a Routemaster

On Heritage Routes 9 and 15”

and inside. . . . . . . . depicting 50 years service.

“Our Heritage in Service”

The Route

Thursday 8^th December 2005 – “Enthusiasts” Day

Vintage Guest vehicles ran between 9.30am and 8pm.

Including some special journeys recreating the route as it was, from West Hampstead and To South Croydon.

Special Workings Timetable

Photographers Special Timetable

(Cobham Bus Museum: ST922 – Pre war bus)

Photographs of some of the day can be found in the Photo Gallery.

Guest vehicles, for those of you who are interested, were;


Blue Triangle	RT3062 RT3871 RTW75 RCL2260		Privately Owned	RM349 RM938 RM1859 RM2097 RM2107	- (ex Reading Mainline)
Ensignbus	RT624 RT1431 RT3232 RT4421 RLH61 TD895 RMF1254 RCL2220 RML2405 RML2565	-(the green one HLJ 44) (in gold) (Stratford Blue)		RML898 RML2278 RML2364 RML2620 RML2727 RT1702 RT2177 RTL1256 RF48 RMA58	ex Metroline (green line SD)
Arriva	RM5 RM6 RMC1453	(in red)	Metrobus LT Museum	RML2371 RM1	(in green)
Stagecoach	RML2665 RML2760	(in white) Last RM built	First	RM613 RTW467
Thanks goes to all those who organised and worked on these specials.
Timetables are courtesy of the LOTS website

Friday 9^th December 2005 – LAST Day

It was a foggy morning and the decision had been made to withdraw the Routemasters one for one over the course of Friday morning, from about 10am, until noon. “The 10.57 will be the last RM from Streatham towards Marble Arch. The final Routemaster will leave Marble Arch at 12.10, arriving at Brixton Garage at around 1.30pm. A convoy of three Routemasters (including RM2217, the last standard length Routemaster to be built) will leave one by one between 11.54 and 12.10. The media will follow in an Open top Routemaster, so the maximum number of passengers can ride on the last RM.”

The last northbound Routemaster journey, worked by RM 85, left Streatham Station at 10:57am, accompanied by police escort, reached Marble Arch a little late, but never the less ready to handover for the last southbound, and last final regular service Routemaster journey.

The last bus, RM 2217, specially painted for the day was chosen because it was the last standard length Routemaster to be built; this was duplicated by RMs 5 and 6 to accommodate the crowds, leaving just ahead of RM 2217. Driven by Winston Briscoe and conducted by Lloyd Licorish, who had both worked on the buses for over 35 years, RM 2217 set off from the Marble Arch stand to its first stop at Oxford Street to be met by hundreds of people. Already 20 minutes behind schedule it took a further 25 minutes for the lucky few to board. Finally ready RM 2217 set off to battle the crowds of Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, who photographed, waved and patted the bus farewell.

The story from Whitehall

At 12.59pm, RM 54 (LDS 279A) came down Whitehall and passed us, turning left onto Westminster Bridge. Two minutes later at 1.02pm RM 5 passed the Cenotaph proudly displaying the Union Flag. Then gold RM 6 appeared, gleaming in the sunlight, carrying adverts for the Heritage Routes. Superdrug owned RML 2741 sneakily appeared for some free advertising before the final Routemaster passed Downing Street. At 1.13pm a proud and smart RM 2217 came down Whitehall for the last time, accompanied by police escort and an open top media bus. RM 2217 stopped at the traffic lights facing Parliament, for one last look up Whitehall, before turning left to pass Big Ben and over the bridge into South London.

As each Routemaster reached Brixton Garage, people alighted and added to the crowds awaiting the final bus. Somewhere along the way RM 6 managed to overtake both RM 54 and RM5 arriving at Brixton Garage before them! Battling the heavy traffic through Brixton, RM 54, due for Streatham Station, was running extremely late by the time it got to Brixton Garage, so it struggled passed the crowds, which by then had flooded onto the road, and continued on its way. RM5 then appeared shortly joined by RM 2217, finally reaching Streatham Hill: Brixton Garage at 2.03pm greeted by cheering crowds. All passengers alighted and the three RMs turned into the garage, the doors closed and it was all over.

RM 54 eventually reached Streatham Station at 2.07pm.

So which Routemaster was really the last in Service? You decide! For me it will have to be RM 54 as this was a regular working on the 159 in its everyday condition – warts and all - and it was the last to run the whole length of the route. Unlike RM 2217 it had not been made to look like something it wasn’t for the media.

RIP RM. 1955-2005.

Evolution of the Heritage Routes

Evolution of the Heritage Routes! The first Heritage Routemasters entered service on a crisp, sunny Monday morning, 14^th November 2005, after a small press launch in Trafalgar Square, held by Ken Livingstone and Peter Hendy, joined by RM1933 and RM1913 gleaming in the sunlight.

July 2005: After talk of up to six heritage routes, two possible Heritage Routes were set out to tender!

Route A from Piccadilly Circus to Tower Hill

Route B from Royal Albert Hall to Aldwych

9^th September 2005: After each route having 5 bids, contracts were awarded to Stagecoach and First!

Route A (Trafalgar Square to Tower Hill) was awarded to Stagecoach East London

Route B (Royal Albert Hall – Aldwych) was awarded to First London

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Press Release

TfL says: “Routemasters will finally leave front-line service with London Buses by the end of 2005, but they will still be seen in the Capital on heritage routes.”

TfL have confirmed that 16 recently refurbished Routemaster’s owned by TfL will be used, and operated by about 50 conductors and drivers. There will be five RMs on each route, with three spares each.

They had proposed a frequency of 15 minutes starting at 9am and ending at 6.30pm, 7 days a week with standard fares applying. Proposed introduction date was [14^th] November 2005.

See the TfL press release link on the link’s page.

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10^th October 2005: Heritage Route numbers 9 & 15 announced!

Route Detail:

The 1^st route is a parallel of the central part of Stagecoach (now East London Bus Group) operated Route 15, once again bringing Routemasters back into the City, operated from Waterden Road (WD) Garage.

The second route, operated from Westbourne Park (X), is a parallel of the Central London part of London United operated Route 9.

The numbering of the heritage routes is simply 15 and 9.

Route 9 Royal Albert Hall to Aldwych; via Knightsbridge – Piccadilly – Trafalgar Square – Strand

Route 15 Trafalgar Square to Tower Hill; via Strand – Fleet Street – Ludgate Hill – Cannon Street

These numbers may, and indeed do when passengers get turn off short, cause some confusion with the “regular” full OPO routes. A more sensible numbering may have been 9A and 15A, sadly this isn’t possible due to disability regulations requiring “accessible” alternatives to be available.

14 November 2005: Heritage Routes start!

After being withdrawn as little as 2 weeks previously, and after a quick repaint, 10 lucky Routemasters re-entered service, and have been trundling along London’s streets daily ever since.