11 Facts About AEC Routemaster

AEC Routemaster is a front-engined double-decker bus that was designed by London Transport and built by the Associated Equipment Company and Park Royal Vehicles.

In 2006, the AEC Routemaster was voted one of Britain's top 10 design icons which included Concorde, Mini, Supermarine Spitfire, London tube map, World Wide Web and the K2 telephone box.

In 2009, the AEC Routemaster was selected by the Royal Mail for their "British Design Classics" commemorative postage stamp issue.

AEC Routemaster was developed between 1947 and 1956 by a team directed by AAM Durrant and Colin Curtis, with vehicle styling by Douglas Scott.

The Routemaster was designed by London Transport and constructed at Park Royal Vehicles, with the running units provided by its sister company AEC.

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The AEC Routemaster was first exhibited at the Earl's Court Commercial Motor Show in 1954.

In 1964, just before commencement of mainstream production of the RML, the final front-engined Routemasters, AEC started work on a front-entrance, rear-engined prototype, FRM1.

AEC Routemaster appealed to the many new operators outside London that appeared post-1986 in the UK following bus deregulation.

Peak era of the AEC Routemaster was in its first 25 years of operation, until September 1982, when the type started to be withdrawn and transferred to training fleets, due to service reductions.

The rapid acceleration and rugged construction of the AEC Routemaster proved to be more suited to urban conditions than some more modern designs.

In March 2003, Transport for London managing director Peter Hendy advised that accessibility was a higher priority than retaining conductors, and in August 2003, as the existing contracts became due for renewal, the remaining AEC Routemaster services were replaced, either by low-floor double-decker buses or articulated buses.