London Big Red Bus and other landmarks Magnet

Introduced by London Transport in 1956, the Routemaster saw continuous service in London until 2005. Despite the retirement of the Routemaster it has retained its iconic status and currently remains on two heritage routes in central London. This has made it one of London’s most famous symbols, with much tourist paraphernalia continuing to bear Routemaster imagery. Before 1907, buses were painted in different colours to signify their route. Due to fierce competition between bus companies, London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) – which became the biggest bus operator in the capital – painted their fleet of buses red in order to stand out from the competition. After encouragement from the Metropolitan Police they also introduced numbers on the buses to signify different routes. The idea of the "double decker" is actually much older than the motor bus. It is a continuation of the system that was used for public transport in the age of horse-drawn vehicles, when some of the passengers sat inside, and the rest travelled on the roof.