Our Heritage Fleet is made up of 9 unique examples of the Routemaster Bus.

London’s first production Routemaster (RM5) entered London service in 1959 and in near original condition is a reminder of how many Londoners remember the buses with traditional seat moquette, yellow ceilings and tungsten light bulbs.

Many people will remember London Transport’s famous publicity photo of a green Routemaster coach in a leafy country lane; we have that bus now in red livery.

Our open top Routemaster has proved popular for celebrating success with Chelsea and Arsenal two of its many customers, an ideal bus for racing events, carnivals and parades.

An unusual bus currently within our fleet is a Routemaster converted for exhibition use, originally to promote All Zones products the interior of the vehicle was converted to look like a modern house. Many of the features are permanent including a port hole in the floor between decks and connections for an external power supply. The bus travelled from London to Milan and back in 2005 to attend a design exhibition.

Restoration of three other vehicles is ongoing as we help to preserve a moving image of London’s history.

The future:
The operational and engineering expertise within Arriva London is the foundation to keeping these buses smart and serviceable. We are keen for organisations to work with us and support the initiative. This could be through advertising or sponsorship of a vehicle. The opportunities to hire are extensive and taking a 40 year old bus across Europe has shown that no challenge is too great.