Days before the “end” of THE ROUTEMASTER, I went to London to make various sketches of them. Seeing my passionate interest a bus-driver took me to their depot in Hackney. Tens of ROUTEMASTER were waiting their turn and coming and going. Their funeral was only 2 days away and the atmosphere was very nostalgic.

The bus-driver had spent all his working life on them and told me he would have to take new driving lessons for the “bendy” bus. I was introduced to the administration and allowed to sketch all around the depot.

I returned the next day and spent the whole day trying to immortalise ” THE ROUTEMASTER, through my drawings – for me and possibly for others too. The result was a great number of sketches and watercolours, big and small, works which were shown to the public in a special dedicated exhibition in London at “Gallery 19” in South Kensington, dedicated to the Routemaster.

The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company (AEC) in 1954 (in production from 1958) and produced until 1968. Introduced by London Transport in 1956, the Routemaster saw continuous service in London until 2005, and currently remains on two heritage routes in central London.

A pioneering design, the Routemaster outlasted several of its replacement types in London. The open platform, while exposed to the elements, allowed boarding and alighting away from stops; the presence of a conductor allowed minimal boarding time and optimal security. The Routemaster became one of London’s most famous symbols, with much tourist paraphernalia continuing to bear Routemaster imagery, and with examples still in existence around the world.

Despite the retirement of the original version, the Routemaster has retained iconic status, and in the late 2000s work began on an updated version, which entered service in February 2012.

The Routemaster bus was developed during the years 1947–1956 by a team directed by A. A. M. Durrant and Colin Curtis, with vehicle styling by Douglas Scott. The resulting vehicle could seat 64 passengers despite being three-quarters of a ton lighter than the preceding RT, which seated only 56.

The first task on delivery to service was to replace London’s trolleybuses, which had themselves replaced trams, and to begin to replace the older types of diesel motor bus. The Routemaster was primarily intended for London use, being designed by London Transport and constructed at the AEC Works in Southall, Middlesex, with assembly at bodybuilder Park Royal Vehicles, a subsidiary company of AEC.

It was an innovative design and used lightweight aluminium and techniques developed in aircraft production during World War II. As well as a novel weight-saving integral design, the Routemaster also introduced (for the first time on a bus) independent front suspension, power steering, a fully automatic gearbox and power-hydraulic
braking.