Transport for London Corporate Archives The Story of the Bus and London Transport

TfL Corporate Archives is part of Information Governance, General Counsel

TfL Corporate Archives

The TfL Corporate Archives acts as the custodian of the corporate memory of TfL and

its predecessors, responsible for collecting, conserving, maintaining and providing access to the historical archives of the organisation. These

archives chart the development of the organisation and the decision making processes. The Archives provides advice and assistance to researchers from both within and outside of the business and seeks to promote the archive to as

wide an audience as possible, while actively collecting both physical material and personal

stories to add to the archive. The Archives are part of Information Governance, within General Counsel.

Online Exhibition

• “The Story of the Bus and London Transport” is intended as an introduction to the wealth of material collected and managed by the Corporate Archives

• The following pages highlight key documents from the collection celebrating the story of the bus in London, arranged according to theme, as well as providing further brief information. These can be used as a starting point for further research if desired

• This document is adapted from a guide that originally accompanied an internal exhibition

Horse Omnibuses

• The first regular horse-bus service within the capital was that started by George Shillibeer in July 1829

• Initially using two buses with a capacity of 16-18 passengers each, his three-horse, single-deck, box-like vehicles operated between four and five services daily connecting Paddington Green and the Bank for a through fare of 1s (5p)

• A survey in December 1835 recorded some 418 horse-buses making a total of 1190 journeys in and around London in one day

• All short stage coaches were replaced between the late 1820s and the 1840s as other operators began to introduce omnibus services all over London

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Horse Omnibuses

• In 1855, the London General Omnibus Company began centralising the various commercial horse drawn omnibuses operating in London, and within a year they provided 600 of the 810 horse drawn omnibuses operating within the capital

• The Metropolitan Streets Act of 1867 decreed that omnibuses were only to stop on the nearside of the road

• The two types of horse-bus (‘knifeboard’ or ‘garden-seat’) generally carried around 26 passengers and had either three or four side windows, being known as the ‘three light’ or ‘four light’ type respectively. Front wheels were smaller than those at the rear and top-deck passengers were exposed to the elements

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Horse Omnibuses

• Although the number of buses in London peaked at some 3700 in 1899/1900, it was only a matter of time before the motor-bus would replace them. The last LGOC horse-bus ran in October 1911 between London Bridge and Moorgate Street, the last into central London ran in March 1912 and the last of all in London ran in August 1914, after which many of the horses were required for war service

• Other notable horse-bus operations were a seasonal passenger service from Chessington South railway station to Chessington Zoo for a few years in the late 1940s and a summer service in 1979 between Baker Street and the London Zoo, through Regent’s Park, as part of the commemorations to mark 150 years since George Shillibeer’s service

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London General Omnibus Company

• In 1855, Joseph Orsi, Leopold Foucaud, and Felix Carteret formed, in Paris, a company to become known as the Compagnie Generale des Omnibus de Londres, with its head office in Paris and a London office at West Strand. By the end of December 1855, when its prospectus was issued in England, contracts had already been entered into for acquiring most of the 810 horse buses then working in London

• Although the new company was French in origin, for all practical concerns it was a British concern. The everyday use of the French title in London was discontinued on 11th January 1856, in favour of London General Omnibus Company and on 1st January 1859 the undertaking became registered in England as a limited liability company

• On Monday 7th January 1856, the first buses run by the London General Omnibus Company appeared on the streets of the capital. For most of the period from then until 30th June 1933, more than half the buses running in London belonged to the LGOC. For more than 75 years the company was London’s principal bus operator, and the services it built form the basis of the network of bus routes operated by TfL today

• The new company began operations with 27 horse buses. Within a month the total was increased to 241, and by the end of March stood at 384. By the end of the year 600 had been acquired, at a cost of £400,000

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London General Omnibus Company

• With some fluctuation, the Company grew in importance until in 1905 it reached its maximum fleet of horse buses in daily working. The number was then 1,418, and this same year established the record for the number of passengers carried – 217,012,090

• In 1904 the gross receipts from passengers had reached their maximum with £1,261,637. By contrast, the other largest company engaged in this business, the London Road Car Company, worked 464 horse omnibuses by 1904 and reached its highest number of passengers and gross traffic receipts in 1903, when 73,134,260 passengers were carried for receipts totalling £405,597

• The year 1906 marked the end of the Company’s prosperity. Two causes contributed to this decline – the introduction of the motor bus, and the development of the Underground system of railways

• The LGOC began exploring the new form of locomotion although it was not until 1904 that it first ran a motor vehicle in public service. This was of an experimental type, and the first effective motor bus of LGOC ownership commenced work in October 1904

• In the early part of 1908, the competition of the several companies working motor buses had become extremely intense, and had led to unsatisfactory features in working and a series of collisions

London General Omnibus Company

• When the police objected to the weight and noise of some of the motor buses running in 1909, the LGOC’s own engineers designed and built a few of the ‘X’ class. This was the first type to be designed by the company. In 1910, LGOC produced the famous ‘B’ type bus

• In July 1908, when the LGOC,

the London Motor Omnibus Company (‘Vanguard’), and the Road Car companies were between them losing over £250,000 a year, the three operators came under a common management. The total number of motor vehicles brought together was 994. At the same time, working agreements began to be entered into with the remaining bus concerns

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London General Omnibus Company

• In the main, agreements were only between bus proprietors and did not extend to other forms of transport. In 1911, faced with the fact that the advantage of the Underground over the horse bus did not hold good against the motor bus, the Underground company embarked on negotiations with the LGOC with a view to acquiring financial control of the company. The fusion was brought about in 1912

• One result of the LGOC passing to Underground control was that various schemes of control were embarked upon. Many bus services began working from Underground stations, particularly in the suburbs. Through bookings by bus and train were also introduced

• The end of the 1914-1918 war found London’s transport in a deplorable state. The sadly depleted bus fleet was in bad shape. The LGOC immediately embarked on the enormous task of rehabilitation. In the meantime more than 100 lorries were converted for passenger work

• The LGOC was quick off the mark with its ‘K’ and ‘S’ types, devised by the company’s own engineers with chassis built by the Associated Equipment Company, a subsidiary formed in 1912

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London General Omnibus Company

• In the latter half of 1922 the first of the new independents began to run buses in London. Initially the struggle was fierce, but the London Traffic Act of 1924 imposed restrictions that virtually prevented new operators from entering the field and as early as March 1925 the LGOC began to acquire controlling interests in these smaller bus companies

• In March 1926, when the LGOC had already acquired more than 200 of the independent buses, the company made a determined effort to dispose of competition once and for all by offering £2,500 each for a minimum of 350 of the 400 vehicles controlled by members of the Association of London Omnibus Proprietors

• The idea of unification of the capital’s passenger transport facilities was nothing new. With the establishment of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the LGOC came to an end, and its fleet of 5,510 vehicles passed to new management

Early Motor Bus

• The closing years of the nineteenth century saw a revolution in urban travel. The public motor bus first commenced running on the streets of London in 1899. The LGOC, like other bus undertakings, appreciated that it must also find an acceptable form of mechanical traction. In 1902, the LGOC ordered its first mechanical vehicle, a Fischer petrol-electric chassis. This took nearly a year to arrive from America, and its trials were further delayed by the initial refusal of the police to licence it, mainly because it was too wide. In the end, after 2 months of trial, the company decided it was useless for public service owing to its petrol consumption. No greater success was obtained with a Clarkson single-deck steam bus ordered in March 1904. This vehicle operated from October 1904 to June 1905 but steadily lost money. In the event, all of the LGOC pioneer enterprises failed

• Initially, buses were purchased. The LGOC’s drivers began receiving driving courses at Battersea Polytechnic in 1905 and in the middle of the year the LGOC’s first large-scale entry into the motor-bus business began with an order for 50 German (Bussing) chassis offered by Straker and Squire. This was followed by an order for 54 De Dion chassis. In the same year the first LGOC motor bus garages were built

Early Motor Bus

• From the first type of motor bus employed by the LGOC and its constituent companies down to the ‘B’ type there were no less than 32 kinds. Unsurprisingly, the LGOC during the period 1904-1909 acquired considerable experience from the working of so many types that it felt competent to undertake successfully the construction of motor buses on its own account. These buses would also be more capable of complying with police and other requirements

• The first type of bus to be designed by the company was the ‘X’ type. This was of a lighter chassis than any previous motor bus. The first bus of this type was licensed on 16 December 1909 on route 15 (Putney-Plaistow). A further 61 ‘X’ types were produced before the famous ‘B’ type made its appearance. The ‘X’ type vehicles, however, continued in service until May 1920

London Transport Museum Collection, U9189

Early Motor Bus

• The Company’s engineers were not content with the ‘X’ type, and proceeded to design and build the ‘B’ type. This comprised a petrol driven engine working through a chain driven gear box to a live back axle fitted with worm gearing. The chassis main frame was built of ash and steel plates, the suspension being provided by leaf springs of steel. In its original form the ‘B’ type bus had a body providing 18 seats outside and 16 inside. The first bus of this type to be licensed was on 18 October 1910

• The most up to date plant was installed in a factory at Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow, where practically the entire chassis was built. Production was stepped up until a regular 30 per week were being turned out. At one time the figure rose to 60

• By 31 March 1913, 2,480 ‘B’ type LT000246/007 buses had been produced. They possessed a reliability previously unknown in London. The breakdown figures for that year showed, out of 55.5 million miles run in service, mileage lost because of breakdowns amounted only to 0.02%

Early Motor Bus

• The last double deck vehicle of this type was not withdrawn from regular service in London until 12 October 1926. A few double deck and some single deckers continued in emergency service for a few months. A large number, over 1,300, went to war and were used to transport troops in France and Flanders during the 1914-1918 war

• The motor bus, with its wider range and greater speed (although legally restricted to 12 miles per hour) led to a revival in services to country districts, first as a Sunday and bank holiday service, and later as a daily operation

• The LGOC was not content to rest on its laurels in regard to bus design and many variations of the ‘B’ type were produced in the immediate pre-war years

World War I

• Within a few weeks of the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, over 300 buses and their crews had been requisitioned by the government and were being used in France and Belgium for troop movements. Some are known to have travelled as far as Egypt. Although the military was still very much geared to the horse, the need for mechanical transport was realised by the authorities as early as 1912

“In October 1914 the

Admiralty enquired whether in 14 hours 300 buses equipped with drivers and kits, maintenance gangs and stores, could be supplied to provide the transport for the Antwerp expedition. The best buses in the service were selected and specially overhauled during the night, while 330 volunteers, most of whom only finished work at midnight, were with the buses lined up the following morning on the Embankment ready to proceed. They reached Antwerp...they got away again and back to Lille with a loss of two dozen lost or hopelessly broken down...no bus was willingly abandoned.”

T.O.T, Dec 17th 1919

World War I

• In total some 1,300 London General Omnibus Company double-deckers, mainly B-types, and other buses, e.g. Daimlers of the Tramways (M.E.T.) Omnibus Co, were used for war service. Others were held in reserve for emergency transport, employed in London defence work, and engaged in the special air-raid service. Those sent abroad proved extremely reliable in these unusual conditions. Single-deckers were requisitioned for Admiralty medical service within 26 hours of the head of the Admiralty medical service selecting which bus type was required. This 26 hour period saw the buses taken off the streets, alterations made in the coach factories, and the buses placed on the road en route to Chatham, Dover, and Plymouth.

• In the first days of war, the Company’s difficulties were due chiefly to the loss of men. Some 2,500 LGOC drivers and conductors heeded the call during the first few months of the war, many having been in the ‘special transport reserve’. Every day the number of men joining up grew. Around 9,500 busmen in total went to the battlefields, some also being involved with driving other vehicles on war service.

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World War I

• In total some 1,300 London General Omnibus Company double-deckers, mainly B-types, and other buses, e.g. Daimlers of the Tramways (M.E.T.) Omnibus Co, were used for war service. Others were held in reserve for emergency transport, employed in London defence work, and engaged in the special air-raid service. Those sent abroad proved extremely reliable in these unusual conditions. Single-deckers were requisitioned for Admiralty medical service within 26 hours of the head of the Admiralty medical service selecting which bus type was required. This 26 hour period saw the buses taken off the streets, alterations made in the coach factories, and the buses placed on the road en route to Chatham, Dover, and Plymouth

• Initially the buses remained in London livery but were later painted in khaki or green. The glass windows were prone to breakage by the men’s rifles and packs and were later removed, being replaced with wooden planks. A B-type could carry 24 fully-equipped infantrymen and their kit and performed remarkably well, considering they were operating in areas for which they were not originally intended. Whilst abroad, some buses were converted for non-passenger-carrying duties such as armoured cars and mobile anti-aircraft gun carriages and had their bodies removed. Others became mobile pigeon lofts to house communication pigeons or were used as ambulances, wireless equipment centres for the cavalry and for other purposes. The surviving buses served until the end of the war and were used to bring troops home

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World War I

• Women were employed by the LGOC from March 1915 as bus conductors, cleaners and on the Underground in various capacities, but were not permitted to drive. Conductors had to be at least five foot (1.52m) in height and aged between 21 and 35. By the end of 1917 over five hundred women had been taken on for a wide variety of duties and acquitted themselves very well. They had to give up their jobs when the men returned

• London suffered its first air raids from 1915, initially from Zeppelin airships but later from other airships and aircraft which were less vulnerable to attack. There were a total of thirty-one air raids during the war, resulting in 670 fatalities and nearly 2000 wounded. The capital was, of course, served by a very extensive tramway network and the LGOC met the vehicle shortage as far as possible by withdrawing buses from areas served by the tramways. A number of buses were damaged and passengers killed as a result of enemy action

• The Government requisitioned

seven bus garages and the AEC workshops, which became a ‘controlled establishment’ under the Government, produced a substantial amount of war material; over ten thousand vehicles in all. War production work in the London area was significant with vast numbers employed at Woolwich Arsenal, Enfield Lock (small arms), Waltham Abbey (gunpowder) and elsewhere, all of which placed more demands on public transport generally

• Bus and tram travel in London became most unpleasant, with overcrowding and minor injuries to passengers and damage to personal property. For the first time, standing on buses was allowed

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World War I

• By the end of the 1914-1918 war the London bus fleet was depleted so that many army lorries were fitted with seats and pressed into temporary service. And to compound the problem, passenger levels on London transport were at a new high. Combined passenger figures on the buses, trains, and trams for 1914 stood at 1,107,992 whilst in 1918 it was 1,230,334. The main part of the burden was borne by the railways owing to the reduced number of buses. New vehicles were needed quickly and in large numbers, both to meet the ever-growing post war demand for transport and also to comply with the regulations laid down by the Commissioner of Police in April 1917 as to the design of post war buses for use in London

Bus Development – 20s and 30s

• The ‘K’ and ‘S’ types were devised by the company’s own engineers with chassis built by the Associated Equipment Company, a subsidiary formed in 1912. The ‘K’, which first appeared in service 26 August 1919, carried 12 more passengers than the ‘B’, and its straight sides and wheel arches enabled cross-seats on the lower deck to be standardised. Some 1,132 vehicles of the ‘K’ type were built and 928 of the ‘S’ class. This ‘S’ of 1920 carried 54 passengers and was heavier than the permitted maximum of 7 tons. It was the high performance of the ‘S’ that convinced the authorities that a heavier bus was safe, and the legal maximum was raised to 8.5 tons

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London Transport Museum Collection, U85

Bus Development – 20s and 30s

• The year 1923 marked a milestone in the development of the London bus, for in February the LGOC submitted for inspection by the licensing authorities the first of its ‘NS’ type. This incorporated many improvements, including a single-step platform, but its most noteworthy feature was a low centre of gravity, which made it practicable to add a roof to the upper deck. Unfortunately this feature was not approved by the police. An open top version was therefore submitted and subsequently licensed and from May 1923 the type went into production at a rate of 50 per week. The first ‘NS’ type bus appeared on the streets of London on 10 May 1923 on route 11 and the first ‘NS’ to be permitted to run with a covered top appeared in the autumn of 1925. Between 1923 and 1925 some 1,700 ‘NS’ type buses were built. By 1925 the LGOC had taken delivery of sufficient for their immediate needs so that the selling of the vehicle to other operators outside London commenced. The last new ‘NS’ bus appeared on the streets in February 1930

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Bus Development – 20s and 30s

• In June 1927 the LGOC produced London’s first 6 wheeled covered top bus, the ‘LS’. The licence for this bus was obtained on 4 June 1927, although it was after September of that year before it entered passenger service on a permanent basis. The original ‘LS’, with its 68 seats, was succeeded in turn by other models seating 66, 70 and 72

• Throughout its history the LGOC was at the forefront of bus design. The ‘LT’ came in 1929. It had 6 wheels and 54 seats, an outside staircase, and provided greater protection for the driver. The first prototype ‘LT’ vehicle began working on 6 August 1929 from the Cricklewood garage on route 16A. This bus was the first London double-decker to have a single roller blind indicator instead of separate route and destination boards. This was later altered. The first batch production of 49 kept the outside staircase but seated 60. There were over 200 ‘LT’ type single-deckers, which were given the classification ‘LTL’ to make a distinction from the double-deckers

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Bus Development – 20s and 30s

• In 1930 came the first of the LGOC’s ‘ST’ type, a short 4 wheeled version of the ‘LT’, followed 2 years later by the ‘STL’, a long 4 wheel base 4 wheeler. This had 60 seats. The ‘STL’ was the last double decker to be designed by the company. During 1930 and the first few months of 1931, 828 ‘ST’ vehicles entered the LGOC fleet. Most of the bodies for these buses were built by the LGOC at Chiswick. A total of 1,139 ‘ST’ type chassis were built, this class becoming a standard London bus

• The first members of the class of vehicle designated ‘T’ were introduced in 1929. The first batch consisted of 50 buses having Chiswick-built bodies

• The first experimental ‘Q’ type bus appeared in 1932 on route 11. Although there were a number of body variations, the advantage provided by this vehicle was the fact that it was possible to accommodate 40 passengers in the single deck version and 63 in the double deckers. The principal feature of the ‘Q’ design was the offside position of the engine placed at an angle to avoid protruding into the passenger space

• With the establishment of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, the LGOC came to an end. On the formation of this new Board the co-ordination demanded for so long at last became a fact. Routes were rationalised, the relationship between the various forms of transport became closer, and all the advantages of large scale operation were exploited. In 1933 and 1934 the Board took over the remaining independents, and the ‘STL’ became the standard double deck bus. Developments in bus design continued, resulting in the ‘RT’ type of 1939

Art and Design - Mascots

“I thank you for your “Bunny” and

letter...When I go out rabbiting, I will take it with me for

luck” - Hertford and District

Motor Omnibus Services, 28 April 1923

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• Corporate Identity is a key asset of TfL as it was for its predecessor companies

• Frank Pick was at the forefront of corporate design and as well as roundels, considered the use of mascots, most notable of which was Wilfred the Rabbit

World War II

• The London Passenger Transport Board had been making preparations for war from the early months of 1938. The protection of Chiswick Works was a big concern and following a meeting on 1 April 1938, the Works was directed to proceed with active preparations. From September 1938 new air raid warning systems were fitted, air raid manuals and lectures were given out, fire fighting equipment was increased, decontamination facilities set up, trenches constructed, sandbags piled up, coaches were converted to ambulances, and bus and coach roofs were camouflaged

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• Progressive arrangements were made for the reduction of the mileage of the omnibus and coach fleet, the blackout of premises and vehicles, the protection of windows with fabric, the de-centralisation of stores and records, and investigation into the use of alternative fuels. It became evident that as the war would be mechanised, the availability of suitable bus drivers would soon become exhausted. It was therefore decided to train bus conductors as drivers to act as reserves

World War II

• As during the first word war, staffing was drastically altered. Many staff joined the Armed Forces, and served at home in the 84th (LT) Anti-aircraft regiment, some leaving very suddenly. The staffing of vehicles was further complicated by the necessity to place a number of single deck omnibuses at the disposal of the London Fire Brigade to assist local fire brigades in provincial towns. Those staff who remained working in London took on many additional responsibilities and found themselves working alongside increasing numbers of women who filled the vacancies. Throughout the Second World War, the LPTB as a whole suffered heavy losses in London, as well as on active service. In the 1944 Annual Accounts & Reports, the total from the outbreak of hostilities were: 548 staff killed whilst on active service, 463 prisoners of war; 179 killed and 1,609 injured whilst working for the Board, with an additional 222 killed and 907 injured whilst off duty. By 1942, 2 officers and 44 staff had been awarded Honours by the King. By 1944 the total was 74, including 29 appearing in the New Years Honours Lists

World War II

• The LPTB played a leading role in evacuating children from London during the Second World War. The mass evacuation took place between 1st and 4th of September 1939. In four days, 550,000 evacuees were conveyed out of London by LPTB vehicles. This involved journeys of considerable distances, some of which made it necessary for the omnibuses to be 2 days on the road. Many drivers had no sleep for 36 hours. Double deck and single deck vehicles were used. Hospital patients were removed by Green Line coaches, converted swiftly into ambulances built to carry 8 to 10 stretcher cases each. Evacuation began again in May 1940 after the invasion of Holland and Belgium, and during the ‘V’ bomb attacks in 1944. Between these operations, LPTB carried 1.25million people

• The LPTB played a crucial role in the Home Front of World War II. The transport system operated whilst sustaining severe damage through enemy bombardment. LPTB's 'Works' (e.g. Acton Works), which were usually used for the production and maintenance of rolling stock continued to do this, but also formed munitions factories - including forming a major part of the London Aircraft Production, particularly the construction of the Halifax Bomber. The LPTB fleet of buses and coaches were used for the mobilisation of troops- some being converted to ambulances

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Post World War II Austerity and Hardship

• The immediate tasks in 1945 were to restore the services and develop new ones in the outer areas to which the population had so markedly shifted; to overtake arrears of maintenance and obtain new rolling stock. During the Second World War, over 150 buses had been completely destroyed and nearly 4,500 had been damaged by enemy action. During the war very few new buses were received and the existing fleets became worn out. After the war large orders for new buses were placed – in excess of 3,000. Large orders were also placed for spare parts for a great and vitally necessary overhaul programme. But the new buses did not arrive, owing to national supply difficulties, and manufacturers were simply unable to supply spare parts. The most acute shortage of spare parts developed that London had ever known. The fuel cut produced extra difficulties, and the Board was faced with thousands of buses in need of major repair and thousands which had outlived their normal life.

• The Board was faced with hundreds of buses lined up in the Works and elsewhere, broken down because there were no parts with which to repair them. In the face of this crisis the Board set to work using unprecedented methods to keep the services going

• Specialists from the Works were sent scouring Britain to find spare parts for London’s buses. They snatched unfinished spares from the producers and rushed them to Chiswick Works, where improvised methods were employed to finish them

Post World War II Austerity and Hardship

• The oldest buses were taken to pieces and every serviceable part from them utilised to keep the remainder on the road. Some old buses were completely rebuilt into new buses, even down to the frames. This involved 5 times as much work as producing an entire new body. London Passenger Transport Board technicians worked in the plants of the manufacturers and authorised on the spot the use of alternative material where the originals were not available. Despite the gigantic and unprecedented difficulties, the Board restored the full pre-war mileages which the road vehicles used to run

• The first service restorations were made in July 1945; Green Line coaches began servicing certain routes in February 1946, and the post-war pattern of 26 routes was in service by June. By the end of 1946 mileage was running at 5% above that of 1939

Chiswick Works

• Up until the First World War, repair works to buses were carried out at local garages, but in 1922 the Central Repair Works opened in Chiswick. At the time they were the largest of the kind in the world and it was here (and later also at Aldenham works) that buses, bus parts and units were overhauled and reconditioned. The Re-birth of the Motor Omnibus, published the year the Works opened, claimed that the new system would reduce the time taken for a complete motor-bus overhaul from 16 days to just 4. Within 2 months of opening, seventy-five vehicles per week were being completely overhauled at Chiswick Works, and it was projected that when in full swing, the Works would employ around 2,000 people. By 1937, this number had risen to 3,500. The canteen provided meals to staff at cost price, and a sports ground was provided for their enjoyment

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Chiswick Works

• Chiswick Works covered 31 acres (32 after the 1937 overhaul), and comprised different areas where the various aspects of repair and maintenance were carried out. These included the Reception and Unit Stores, where spare parts were kept, the Strip and Clean Shop, where the dismantled units were cleaned and inspected for damage, the Preview and Pre-repair area, where parts were labelled as being not economical to repair, parts requiring overhaul, and undamaged parts. At Plating and Welding fractured or worn parts were repaired, and in the Electrical Shop lighting systems, generators, starters, radio-communication and AFC equipment were stripped, cleaned, inspected and overhauled. In the Coppersmiths’ Shop, radiators and fuel tanks were examined and repaired as well as copper pipe work, exhaust systems and silencers. There was also a skid patch where trainee drivers were taught skid avoidance and correction, and emergency stopping

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Chiswick Works

• By 1939, despite an overhaul in 1937, Chiswick Works was struggling to complete the growing quantity of work required. During the Second World War, work was decentralised to various garages, allowing the use of the Works for aircraft production. London Transport undertook to manufacture the centre section of the Halifax bombers, to install engine units and the front fuselage and the complete erection and test-flying of the Halifaxes. The nucleus of the programme was established at Chiswick, and overflowed into the Aldenham depot, and later, Leavesden. Ultimately, over 700 aircrafts were completed by London Aircraft Production, mostly by London Transport staff with little or no training in the specialised work of aircraft production

• After the war, it became apparent that the facilities at Chiswick Works would be insufficient to deal with the overhaul of the rapidly expanding fleet of modern design. While the London Transport Executive searched in vain for an alternative site of sufficient size, the burden on Chiswick led to the setting up of auxiliary overhaul shops in premises at Aldenham, originally intended to be used as a railway depot for the Northern Line extension

• A modernised Chiswick works was to carry out the overhaul of electrical and mechanical units and the repair of their detail parts, while the overhaul of the vehicle as a whole, the manufacture of body spares, and the repair of damage to vehicles resulting from accidents was to be carried out at the new Aldenham site

• Chiswick works was closed by 1990, as the move towards privatisation led to more work being carried out in operating garages

Aldenham Works

• When a planned extension to Elstree was axed in Spetember 1949, the depot in Aldenham became the site of a bus and coach overhaul factory. The first construction contract was let in May 1952 and the work was completed in 1956, with the factory being three times the size of the original depot. Aldenham Works was capable of overhauling nearly 60 buses a week, and could employ a staff of 2,500

1950s and 1960s

• Internally, the gravest problem was staff shortage. From 1950 onwards the difficulty of recruiting and retaining suitable staff for operating buses presented a serious limitation to the services that could be provided. Immigration from the Commonwealth countries relieved but did not solve the problem. Employment of women was increased. However, the long term effect of the shortage was to compel the adoption of general one-man operation on all routes, as soon as mechanical means of collecting fares had been devised

• By 1954 the post war bus and coach replacement programme was completed, and in that year it was decided to replace the 1,764 strong trolleybus fleet with buses. 2 prototypes of the successor bus, the ‘RM’, were delivered. These were 8ft wide with 64 seats. The changeover to bus operation began on 4 March 1959 and was completed on 8 May 1962

• ‘RM ‘buses and their extended 72 seater successors, of the ‘RML’ type, continued to be delivered in replacement of the earlier RTs until 1968

• In December 1956, general fuel rationing was introduced, lasting officially until the following May. London Transport was required to save 5% of its liquid fuel consumption for ordinary bus services. Buses were cut in the evening and at weekends, but peak services were maintained

• In April 1966 a single deck, flat fare service for commuter journeys between Victoria station and Marble Arch was introduced. In September 1966, the Board proclaimed its intention to renew the whole of its bus fleet with one-man operation

Routemaster

• The Routemaster was the last of the London Regional Transport purpose built buses and the last in a succession of London buses derived from the famous pre 1914 war ‘K’ type bus, through the ‘NS’, the ‘ST’ and then the ‘LT’

• Design and development of the Routemaster started in 1951 by London Transport in association with A.E.C. and Park Royal Vehicles. Extensive operational research and a critical re-appraisal of the fundamental requirements of the conditions peculiar to London were carried out and the aim was for a vehicle having high powers of acceleration and a high standard of passenger appeal. The new bus was to be economical in operation, which involved lightweight construction, and had to meet special requirements in respect of interchange-ability of parts, and assembly of mechanical units, so as to conform to London Transport’s methods of flow production for overhaul and repair

• The Routemaster was novel in many respects. Based on a chassisless construction with easily removable parts, the use of light alloy in place of steel, the introduction of automatic transmission, coil spring suspension, hydraulic in place of air operated brakes and power assisted steering, made it a bus ahead of its time

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Routemaster

• The decision was taken in 1959 to adopt the Routemaster design as a replacement vehicle for the trolleybus and to produce 2,760 such buses – initially with 64 seats as against the older ‘RT’, which had 56, and then by developing an additional body bay with 8 extra seats

• The buses entered service in substantial numbers in the early 1960s. Although they were in turn surpassed by more modern buses in later years, such as the Titans, the Metros and the Olympians, none matched the unique qualities of the Routemaster

• In 1961 the first batch of 30ft long Routemasters, classified ‘RML’ or Routemaster Lengthened/Long, entered service. The extra length was achieved by the insertion of an extra half-bay in the bodyside, together with eight more seats. Production of the shorter RMs continued until 1965 with the completion of over 2,000 vehicles, but with the need for more capacity, production now concentrated on the longer ‘RML’, a number of which operated in the Country Area in green livery, being transferred to London Country Bus Services (LCBS) upon its formation in 1970 along with the Green Line coaches. The last examples appeared in 1968, bringing LT’s total build to 2,760

Routemaster

• During the 1970s Routemasters appeared in a number of special overall advertising liveries. A batch was painted silver for the 1977 Queen’s Silver Jubilee others appeared in special commemorative liveries. In 1979 a batch was painted red and yellow for a short-lived ‘Shoplinker’ flat-fare service in the West End. From the early 1980s, many examples had been sold off for further use elsewhere in the UK and indeed worldwide and a flourishing preservation movement commenced with its own owners’ association. Many are used by private operators for weddings, sightseeing and other corporate events

• Despite being of an obsolete design by the 1980s (all standard Routemasters had to have a conductor), the bus went through a thorough programme of refurbishment and soldiered on into the 1990s and past the Millennium, being regarded by many as an icon of London. Many of the intended replacements have themselves been replaced and were found to not be up to the rigorous requirements of London. Routemasters were being used on many front-line central London routes but were finally withdrawn from normal passenger service in 2005

Garages

• On the vesting of the London Passenger Transport Board, 52 garages came directly into the ownership of the Board from the London General Omnibus Company. These garages became the basic garage stock for the new Central Bus department

• The oldest garages taken over were those that had been built on the site of, or converted from, former horse bus depots. There were 9 of these, some dating back to the 1870s. From 1911, the LGOC had embarked upon a programme of building new garages to meet the needs of the expanding fleet and its widening operating area. Between 1911 and 1914, 15 new garages were built by the LGOC. The 1920s saw another burst of building, in addition to the reopening of requisitioned properties. 17 garages were built by the LGOC within the central area, including some built for subsidiaries

• A thorough review of garage requirements was carried out immediately after the Second World War. The resulting report found a shortfall of 793 bus places in the central area and 47 in the country area. The shortfall at individual garages in the central area ranged as high as 49 at Cricklewood. 4 garages had no shortfall, while another 4 had a little spare accommodation. The outcome was that there should be 6 new central bus garages and 5 in the country area, with major reconstruction to increase the capacity at 4 existing central and 1 country garage. The extra capacity, taking into account other factors, would be in the region of 1,200 buses

Garages

• The sites chosen for completely new central bus garages were Peckham (Bull Yard), King’s Cross, Kingston, Romford, and Waltham Green. The 4 central bus garages selected for reconstruction were Holloway, Hounslow, Shepherd’s Bush, and Sidcup. An order of priority was agreed (Peckham, Shepherd’s Bush, Romford, Garston, Streatham, Kingston, Loughton, and Hounslow) and the total cost for the programme was estimated at £1,577,000. The plan remained fluid and some projects were at various points removed, added, or altered. For economic reasons, steel was to be used for roof construction unless contracts in place dictated otherwise

• The ambitiousness of the garage building plan was handicapped by the economic conditions that were still in effect after the Second World War. Severe shortage of materials was a constant theme, and one of the scarcest items was steel

• London Transport’s engineers were also studying what constituted the ideal design and layout for a garage. They were aided by work done on this by the LGOC, and in May 1949 a design had been evolved which was to in principle be the basis of all new garages. The ideal layout envisaged 3 separate buildings

1970s

• The 1970s saw the theme of staff shortages continue, affecting bus reliability despite a series of conversions to one-man operations. Staff shortages applied to not only bus crews but also maintenance staff

LT000014/217

• In 1974, new government legislation gave women the opportunity to work in roles that had previously been exclusive to men. By 1975, there were 20 women drivers and 8 female inspectors

LT001670/397

1970s

• Mechanical problems were affecting the new single-deck buses, which were not designed to withstand London’s traffic conditions. Breakdowns and other factors led to a shortage of vehicles. A large number of double-deck Daimler Fleetlines were purchased between 1970 and 1977. The ‘Londoner’, as this type was termed in the press, was London Transport Museum Collection, 2002_935 the first purpose built one man double-decker. The first of the new ‘DMS’ type double-deckers went into service on routes 95 and 220 in January1971. 2,646 Fleetlines were delivered in total, the last arriving in 1978. The fare collection involved the use of 2 different machines – the driver had a motorized ticket machine whilst passengers with the exact fare could serve themselves from a coin operated machine

• 1970-1975 saw the creation of more than 100 bus lanes in an attempt to combat congestion problems. Other new ideas trialled were restrictions on private and commercial traffic in certain areas, pre-paid tickets, multi-ride tickets, bus passes, and travel permits for the elderly

• 2 way radio communication between drivers and controllers was in use on 7 routes by 1973. Radios were then installed on all of London’s buses during the late seventies and early eighties, allowing crews to report conditions and summon assistance

Staff

Pay and Conditions • Memoranda of Agreement between the London General Omnibus

Company and the London and Provincial Union of Licensed Vehicle Workers in 1914 and 1916, lay out the rates of pay and conditions of service for bus staff

• Drivers and conductors were paid by the mile, with conductors earning between 80 pence and a shilling and 12 (17 in 1916) pence per bus mile, and drivers earning between a shilling and 15 pence and a shilling and 43 pence per bus mile, dependent on experience

• Time and a half was paid for working Christmas Day by 1916, with a one shilling bonus for duties worked after 6pm on that day, while bank holidays were paid at time and a quarter. No mention of overtime for Christmas is made in the 1914 memorandum

• Annual leave for the first two years of service stood at just 3 days, increasing to 7 days after 6 years service, for both drivers and conductors. However, these holidays had to be taken at the time assigned by the company, and drivers and conductors were paid only 5 or 4 shillings per day, respectively

• While the 1914 memorandum has a description of the uniforms to be issued to conductors and drivers, the 1916 memorandum has an additional description of the uniform to be issued to female conductors, reflecting the increased employment opportunities offered to women in the paid labour market as a result of World War 1. Over 1,700 women had joined the LGOC as conductors by the end of 1916. Interestingly, the 1916 memorandum makes no mention of the pay to be made to women, which was presumably less than the rates being paid to men

Staff

Women

• Although the LGOC began to employ women in 1916, it was always understood that their positions were temporary, and that they would be replaced by the men on their return from the war. Once the war ended, it was another 21 years before they reappeared as conductors on London’s buses

• During the Second World War, women were once again required to step up to fill the gaps in the labour market. Driving remained an occupation reserved for men, but women were once more employed as conductors, as well as in depots and engineering departments. Their pay, however, commenced at a lower rate than that of their male counterparts, and in 1939 a woman conductor was paid 90% of the male rate for the first 6 months of her employment. Beyond this point, however, their wages were the same as male conductors

• In 1950, it was decided that the 90% rate for women would be abolished, in response to difficulties recruiting sufficient staff, and that from September 1950, they would be paid the same rate as the men

Staff

Health

• In the 1930s, it was a common belief amongst busmen that the occurrence of gastric sickness amongst omnibus workers was disproportionately high

• An investigation into this phenomenon, comparing the sickness records of omnibus drivers to those of tramway drivers, by the Medical Research Council Industrial Health Research Board, found that omnibus drivers at all ages had a relative excess of gastric illness of 12-14%, while conductors had a relative excess of gastric illness of 15-18%

Staff

E mployment of E thnic Minorities • The first ‘coloured’ member of staff was employed in 1954 to

work in Stockwell Garage • In 1956, a scheme was introduced by which Barbadians were

recruited by London Transport to meet the demand for staff. In 1965, 7% of bus drivers and 22% of conductors were classified as ‘coloured’. In a draft letter from the chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board written around 1965 to the Minister of Transport, it was claimed that ‘it has been the consistent policy of the Board not to discriminate on grounds of race or colour against applicants for employment or promotion’. However, archive material suggests that the staff didn’t necessary feel this was the case, and the Campaign against Racial Discrimination campaigned against a lack of promotional opportunities for ‘coloured’ workers

• On the other hand, a member of the Sikh community sent a letter to the London Transport Recruitment Centre praising the London Transport Authorities’ policy to allow beard and turbans to be worn by Sikh workers, indicating that not all workers of ethnic minorities felt discriminated against by the organisation

Staff

Indus trial A c tion • The bus strike of 1937 saw buses off the streets of London from

midnight on the 30th of April until midnight on the 27th May • The main bone of contention was working hours, with busmen

pushing for a seven hour day. They also complained about the speeding up of services, too frequent alteration of schedules, irregularity of meal times, and in some cases, the inadequacy of standing times and facilities in terminals. A joint committee started negotiations in May 1936, but the Board refused to consider a reduction in working hours, even when the union moved their demand to a seven and a half hour day. At the court of inquiry appointed by the minister for labour, Ernest Bevin of the Transport and General Workers’ Union spoke at length about the injurious effect that bus work had on the health of the workers, giving rise to both nervous and gastric disorders

• The court found that traffic congestion, irregular hours and speed increases were an accepted part of a busman’s work, but that scheduling hardships could be alleviated. It also found that the case for a seven and a half hour working day had not been proven, but that the health matter should be further investigated, and that if it was shown that a reduction of working hours was needed to deal with it, then this should be negotiated. It also suggested that an increase in fares might be justified to allow for this

• The Board, represented at the hearing by Frank Pick, agreed to consider a shorter day if a joint enquiry showed it to be justified, and (following a dispute between the central bus committee and the union), on the 28th of May, the men returned to work. However, the strike had cost the Board 86 million passenger journeys

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Most of our paper records are stored in a salt mine in Cheshire under secure conditions that meet British Standards for storing archival materials. Our public reading room is based in central London. Visits are by appointment only so you must book first using the contact details on this page. Email: corporatearchives@tfl.gov.uk Our catalogue contains over 135,000 descriptions of our material. It is available online at http://www.tflcorporatearchivescatalogue.co.uk/CalmViewA/