London Bus Hire

TopShop’s double-decker bus stunt in Oz

31/01/2012 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

Retailer TopShop have launched free double-decker bus travel service in Melbourne to help promote the opening of the new branch in Australia, and get shoppers through the doors. A traditional double-decker bus, more commonly seen on the streets of London where the TopShop’s flagship store is located, has been given a TopShop makeover to advertise the new store’s opening down under.

Customers can ride on the TopShop double-decker bus for free, with a timetable of the bus’s routes available in store and also online. As well as dropping off and collecting customers from the new TopShop store, the bus also runs along routes in other parts of the city taking passengers to popular spots including the beach and a nearby open air swimming pool.

As an extra incentive to encourage passenger onto the TopShop bus, the retailer is giving away travel tickets to each passenger that boards with one in every ten of the first 300 tickets issued winning an instant prize or a TopShop gift card of up to $500 value. In-keeping with the London theme, the travel cards are designed to look like the Oyster Card, the electronic travel ticket used by commuters in London.

Regular updates about the TopShop double-decker’s route in Melbourne are being made on the retailer’s Twitter and Facebook pages. The free bus is expected to run until February 24^th.

London bus stops to get Olympic inspired art

13/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Bus stops in London are getting an art make over ahead of the Olympic Games this summer. As part of a special art commission, selected bus shelters will be decorated with changing displays on the roof, with 30 bus shelters in 20 London boroughs already boasting these innovative displays.

Mark Titchner is the artist behind the latest bus shelter art project in which motivational slogans and phrases are being flashed up on the top of bus stops. Commands including, “If you don’t like your life, you can change it” and “Act or be Acted Upon” are being displayed on the roofs of bus shelters so those travelling on the top deck of London buses can look down and read the phrase.

There are 31 different motivational statements in total which are being changed on a daily basis on the bus shelter displays so commuters will see a different one every day they pass the same stop. The system is controlled by curators via the internet who change the displays at different times of the day and on different routes. The idea is to give passengers a thought to take with them on their journey, the Turner Prize nominated artist revealed.

While a number of professional artists are involved in the creation of the art for the London bus shelters, the public can also get involved via Bus Tops, where the people can submit their ideas and suggestions for use as art displays on the shelters.

The project is part of a wider programme of 12 public art commissions rolled out throughout the rest of England, also Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

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New London Routemaster bus showcased in the city

11/01/2012 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A prototype of the new Routemaster style double-decker bus received a preview in Golders Green last week ahead of the bus’s official debut scheduled for next month.

Around 500 people took to the streets in Golders Green in North London to see the “Boris bus” as it’s been nicknamed, up close for the very first time. An eclectic mix of people including students, tourists and local councillors turned out to give the new double-decker the once over and deliver their opinion on the re-mastered Routemaster last Friday.

The American tourists who’d arrived to view the new addition to London’s transport network were given a talk on the history of the original Routemaster before boarding the new version for a guided tour.

A technical consultant from Transport for London was also on hand to offer information on the new eco-friendly bus and to answer any questions from the people who’d arrived to look over the double-decker.

The new Routemaster features two staircases to allow easy access up and down from the top deck, as well as the original open back platform which was one of the distinguishing features of the original Routemaster.

The first new double-decker London bus is due to appear on London streets on February 20^th and will operate on the number 38 bus route between Victoria and Hackney.

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London double-decker bus ploughs into supermarket entrance

09/01/2012 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

A big red double-decker London bus crashed into the entrance of a busy south west London supermarket yesterday, narrowly avoiding injuring shoppers and those travelling on the service. No injuries were reported, although the Sainsbury’s store in Wandsworth where the accident occurred was usually busy at approximately 11am when the incident occurred.

The road around the Sainsbury’s supermarket was cordoned off as police carried out an investigation of the area. One eyewitness described how the accident occurred, saying that a road sweeper vehicle had been involved in the crash. Witnesses reported seeing passengers travelling on the bus at the time, although everyone escaped the accident without serious injury.

According to the witness, the road sweeper was travelling in one direction, with the bus travelling in the opposite direction, and the crash occurred when the two collided, with the bus driver left with nowhere to go but into the entrance of the Sainsbury’s store.

The number 28 bus was reported to have suffered damage to the front of the vehicle including a smashed windscreen. Debris from the accident was strewn across the area in front of the busy Sainsbury’s store including glass from the windscreen.

Transport for London confirmed that a full investigation into the accident will be carried out to determine the cause of the incident and to ensure nothing of this nature happens again.

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London bus workers demanding extra money for working the Olympics

20/12/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

London bus workers are demanding an extra £500 each for working over the Olympic Games this summer. The union, Unite have written a letter on behalf of the 28,000 workers who say they should be paid £500 extra because their buses will be extremely busy during the three weeks while the Olympics Games is in the capital.

The bus workers are arguing that the extra £500 payment would put their pay in line with what other London transport workers will receive during the Games in 2012. However, paying each London bus worker an extra £500 just for turning up for work during the Olympics will stretch Transport for London’s budget further, costing the taxpayer and passengers an extra £14 million over the duration of the sporting event.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson, does not support the bus worker’s appeal for more money during the Olympics and has described both the tube and bus staff of attempting to take advantage of their position to lever more money out of TFL.

An extra 800,000 passengers are expected to use London buses during the Olympic Games this summer, and the London Bus staff believe that they should be duly rewarded as their services will be especially busy as a result. The union has not ruled out industrial action if a resolution is not found.

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London bendy buses undertake their final journey in the capital

09/12/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

From this weekend, the bendy bus will become a thing of the past on London’s transport network as the final journey of the number 207 bendy bus will conclude in the early hours of this Saturday morning, signalling an end of the elongated bus’s life on the capital’s roads.

The bendy bus was hit with controversy since its introduction by TFL back in 2002 as the single-decker buses offered a free-for-all for fare dodgers who were easily able to avoid paying for their journey as the vehicles had several entrances which meant the driver was unable to check that every passenger was swiping their Oyster Card.

TFL started sending inspectors onto bus routes to try to clamp down the this type of fare dodging, however they were unable to monitor every service so it was still possible for some passengers to slip through the net. It’s been estimated that the scrapping of the bendy buses will save TFL £7.4 million annually as fewer fare dodgers will be able to take advantage of the system.

As well as enabling some passengers to get away without paying for their travel, the bendy buses were regarded as too large for the streets of London with many believing the posed a danger to the public and passengers.

Whether you were for or against the London bendy bus, from this weekend they won’t be seen on the city’s roads. The 350 bendy buses are being replaced with another 500 vehicles, 50 of which are hybrid double-decker buses. In addition, from early next year the very first modernised, eco-friendly, open platform Routemaster buses will grace London’s transport system once again.

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Contactless payment card system to be rolled out on London buses

18/11/2011 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

Contactless payment via personal bank cards will be introduced on London buses from the start of the 2012. The new “wave and pay” system will allow passengers who don’t have an Oyster Card to benefit from low cost travel and to pay for their bus fare with the minimum amount of hassle.

However the new technology is not without its doubters, with the London Assembly’s Transport Committee making a number of recommendations before the scheme is rolled out throughout the London bus network.

The committee wants reassurances that those without personal debit or credit cards will still have access to the best travel fares, and also protection against electronic pick pockets who could attempt to intercept the new contactless payment system to gain access to personal bank accounts.

The payment for the fare will be taken directly from the passenger’s personal bank account via the new wave and pay system, however a version of the smart card Oyster card service, whereby payment is taken via the card which is pre-loaded with credit, will remain in some form, it has been revealed.

The scheme will cost TFL £75 million, with the system being included on London buses from next spring, with the intention of rolling it out on tubes, over ground and DLR services towards the end of the year.

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Calls for bus deigns for Arriva competition

16/11/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

Transport operator, Arriva, is calling for their passengers to get arty and submit their designs for a new double-decker art bus. Whether you’re a professional or aspiring artist, or even a complete amateur, the competition is open to all so let your imagination run wild and completely reinvent the look of an Arriva bus.

The national competition is calling for people from across the UK to get involved, creating designs which may be inspired by their local area, or by anything they choose. There are no specific criteria detailing what your design must be based on, so you’re free to go with whatever inspires you.

All designs can be submitted to Arriva online via their website with the deadline set for the end of January. The bus operator have also included some detailed images of one of their double-decker buses on the art bus section of their site to help you create designs for specific areas of the double-decker.

The winning design will receive £2,500 to help take the design from the page to the bus with the finished art bus expected to tour the country following the makeover so the design will be seen and admired by thousands of people across the UK. The aim of the competition is to promote bus travel and encourage more people out of their cars and onto their local bus services.

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Justin Bieber takes double-decker bus ride in London

15/11/2011 By Louise Williams Leave a Comment

Teen pop idol, Justin Bieber, is the latest in a line of celebrity faces ditching the chauffeur driven car and giving London’s famous buses a try after he was spotted catching a lift from his hotel to the ITV studios on a big red double-decker over the weekend.

Only a few weeks ago R&B singer Rihanna was spotted catching the London tube to her concert at the O2 Arena, while Made in Chelsea star and daughter of Sir Phillip Green the Topshop the tycoon, Chloe Green, was snapped catching the night bus home with a friend.

Now Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber is the latest celebrity to endorse public transport, although his bus trip may not have been 100% authentic as there seemed to be a whole camera crew in tow, and also a few minders to keep over-eager fans at bay.

The 17-year-old star is currently over in the UK to promote his Christmas album release, Under the Mistletoe, and is reported to be starring in his own ITV special to advertise the release of the festive record. In fact, at the time he was spotted on his hired London bus, the singer was being transported from his West London hotel to the ITV studios, possibly to record material for the upcoming show.

The teen pop star evidently enjoyed his ride on the open top London bus as he tweeted a picture of himself looking relaxed and enjoying the view from the top deck with the caption, “London Town.”

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Double-decker bus pulled through London to raise money for Veterans Aid

07/11/2011 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A team of 20 men and women made up of members of the police force and the armed forces joined together to pull a 15 ton double-decker bus 1 mile through Central London this weekend to help raise money for the Veterans Aid fund.

Tugging the colossal bus by hand for a mile would have been no easy feat in itself, but to make the fund raising act all the more challenging, 60 passengers boarded the bus and remained onboard for the 1 mile ride.

The double-decker London bus filled with passengers was pulled by rope by the 20-strong team of fundraisers from the Cenotaph in Westminster to Grosvenor Garden in Victoria as part of the charity fund raising mission. The Epping Forest Pipe Band also gave their support to the cause by piping the procession, playing their instruments as the double-decker bus followed closely behind.

Folk duo, Northfield, have also announced that they will donate all profits from their forthcoming single release to the charity, Veterans Aid.

The police men and women and members of the armed forces who carried out the mammoth bus pull hope to have raised £6,000 for the Veterans Aid charity from their efforts, although their main aim was to help raise awareness of the cause with their attention-grabbing fund raising event.

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