A bus stop along Exhibition Road fronting Clarence House

The first time I rode on the double decker red bus was during my very first visit to Central London last year. I was with my cousin. We were supposed to go St. James Park but eventually got lost along the way. So we took the bus near the Parliament building but ended up in York Street. We went straight to Waterloo Station, brought a box of Krispy Kreme, took the train back to Chessington South and headed home. It was beginning to get dark at 4:00pm. It was the already the end of summer and the start of autumn.

The red buses were all over London. Some were single-decker, others double. A double-decker red bus could load up to 60 persons and bring you safe to your destination without missing any of your vital parts. You pay a minimum of 1GBP or flash your Oyster Card to the bus driver upon entering. Disabled people can also easily get on the bus through an automated step. The driver would lower it down to sidewalk level to accomodate a person on a wheelchair.

I failed to take a photo of a red bus so here’s an example. It’s a bus for sale. Got this from W.H.SMith for 4GBP.

There were certain stations where the bus would load or unload passengers. Time schedules, destinations and bus numbers were indicated at the bus station’s monitor. You can’t just go and hail a bus from anywhere down the street. They’ve got CCTV cameras all over. That’s why everyone would rather have their own cars to drive.