The London bus: Britain’s most iconic design?

Beloved by locals and tourists alike, London’s bright red double-decker bus has endured to become synonymous with the city. Jonathan Glancey explains its appeal.

The post-box red, double-decker bus was never designed to be an icon. It was supposed to last just 17 years – so why is the Routemaster still with us, 50 years later?

It was designed by London Transport to be both ultra-modern and traditional, created by Londoners, for Londoners. The prototype was issued in 1954 and the first vehicles went into service two years later.

Created right after World War II, its body was made of lightweight aluminium – perhaps the most direct link with war-time engineering techniques.

When it was finally taken out of regular service in 2005, there was a public outcry at the loss of a London icon – the name was revived with a new Routemaster just three years later. But can the new bus live up to its iconic predecessor? Jonathan Glancey takes a look. 

From BBC News

This extraordinary bus was once the choice in Portugal., too. However, its colour was green instead of red. The company which still exists was CARRIS.

There was also a smaller version a "single decker" suitable for areas where it was diffucult for a doubledecker to go. Narrow streets of ancient parts of Lisbon or simply less populated areas.

 Of course the entrance was on the opposite side of the bus as in Portugal  the driving is by the right side of roads and streets. some of these green buses had no door at the back and many people, especially men used to jump out of the bus while it was still moving (quite a few fell off and got serious injuries). Later they were painted orange and soon after some modern buses came up and these ones completely disppeared. Some were preserved and are now in the Museum of CARRIS