London's bade farewell to its much-loved Routemaster red Double
Decker bus.
The Routemaster has been around for half a century, and has been
synonymous with the city as the Big Ben.
The Routemaster, London's iconic, double decker buses where
passengers jumped on and off via an open platform at the back of
the bus, will be taken out of service on 9th December 2005,
Friday.
The last Routemaster bus was built in 1968. The distinctive red
buses, complete with conductors, cord-pull bell and an open rear
platform which allowed passengers to jump on and off even when the
bus was moving, are viewed by many as irreplaceable classics.
At midday, on Friday, the last Routemaster, number 159 (Marble Arch
to Brixton Garage), rang an end to an era of the
Routemasters.
Officials for Transport for London, say the buses are impractical
and inefficient, not to mention unsafe with three or four
fatalities every year
