*ICON* Ride on London Transport RM655 - WLT 655 - AEC Routemaster - Shuttle Run

My other run from yesterday is now the oldest vehicle to date I have ever filmed. This is RM655, now Confidence’s 15. This, of course, is an AEC Routemaster, the iconic London bus.

It began its London career way back in April 1961, and was originally based at Wood Green. It moved to Edmonton in July 1972, then to Enfield in March 1974, then down to Sidcup in April 1977. Its final London transfer was to West Ham in February 1981. That same year, it had its AEC engine replaced with the Leyland 0600 unit it has today.

In July 1984, it was withdrawn from London service after 23 years (which I believe was more normal back then). The following year, Confidence, then based in Oadby, bought it and they continue to use it today. It was used for school services up until 2003, and after that, it has been mainly used for private hire.

Nearly 20 years on from the last time it was used in regular service, the Routemaster retains its status as the iconic London bus. It had such a significant status in the city that passenger service continued until December 2005, when the 159, then based at Arriva’s Brixton garage, was finally due a conversion to low floor. A special farewell event was organised, and there was such a large turnout, the last bus on the service ended up running very late. This is probably the only time Arriva have given a shit about their heritage. This was followed by a 10th anniversary event in December 2015, which also coincided with the 159 transferring to Abellio with New Routemasters.

A month before the final service was converted, two tourist heritage services were launched in London, these being the 9 and the 15. The 9 was scrapped in July 2014, while the 15 was reduced to only run during the tourist season in 2019. It didn’t run during the 2020 season for reasons I shouldn’t have to explain, and Stagecoach, who ran the service did not renew the contract that November. I believe a replacement tourist service has been launched elsewhere but I don’t know for definite.