Widely recognised as one of the British design icons of the 20th century, the Routemaster was a familiar sight on London’s roads for more than half a century. Although first introduced in the 1950s, the Routemaster first came to prominence in the Swinging Sixties as London Transport sought to replace its trolleybus network and older buses. From then on no vehicle has come to define the Metropolis as strongly as the Routemaster; used in marketing, promotional tours, films and as the basis of a whole range of souvenirs, the Routemaster is instantly familiar worldwide as a piece of London’s history. Such was the outcry when it was announced that, shortly after its 50th anniversary in service, the Routemaster was finally to be withdrawn that two short heritage routes were retained and a campaign was begun to create a Routemaster for the 21st century. The latter, spearheaded by the current Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has seen the construction of a new bus that will enter service in 2012. This DVD brings together a range of official films produced over the 60-year life of the Routemaster, including, and made available in this format for the first time, the film made by Transport for London marking the final withdrawal of the Routemaster. Films on this DVD include: Getting to Grips Four Back Rooms The Nine Road Restoring RM5 The Last Day of the Routemaster Additional material includes an introduction by Peter Hendy, footage of Routemasters being dismantled, operation of the heritage routes, the development of the new double-deck bus and the refurbishment programme of the 1990s.
