London Bus

The light mood on the this sunday bus ride is quite nice after a week of working for some nameless and formless beast on floor 45. You have never had a chance to tell anyone, but these bus rides are the only thing keeping you from filing for divorce, freaking out on your next door neighbor, and finally spending your savings on that sweet little 1968 Alfa Romeo Spider that you've had your eye on for over a year. Perhaps one more turn around the town and you will be yawning enough to go home to the tele. The London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance double-deck Routemaster being recognised worldwide. Although the Routemaster has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles, the majority of buses in London are still red and therefore the red bus remains an iconic symbol of the city. Buses have been used on the streets of London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating his horse drawn omnibus service from Paddington to the city. In 1850 Thomas Tilling started horse bus services, and in 1855 the London General Omnibus Company or LGOC was founded to amalgamate and regulate the horse-drawn omnibus services then operating in London. LGOC began using motor omnibuses in 1902, and manufactured them itself from 1909. In 1904 Thomas Tilling started its first motor bus service. The last LGOC horse-drawn bus ran on 25 October 1911. In 1912 the Underground Group, which at that time owned most of the London Underground, bought the LGOC. In 1933 the LGOC, along with the rest of the Underground Group, became part of the new London Passenger Transport Board. The name London General was replaced by London Transport, which became synonymous with the red London bus.