Routemaster buses return to South Bank on new daily service
A new daily bus route linking Waterloo with Piccadilly Circus via Westminster Bridge using classic 1950s and 1960s Routemaster buses is due to launch this month.
The famous open-platform Routemaster bus was last seen in regular public service south of the river in 2005 when the vehicles were withdrawn from route 159.
Transport for London continued to run a limited heritage service north of the river using Routemasters until 2019, with plans for a seasonal service on the 15H route in 2020 scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now the Transpora Group is launching a daily service on the new Route A between Waterloo Station and Piccadilly Circus via Westminster Bridge.
Route A is due to launch on Saturday 15 October and will have three stops on the South Bank: at Waterloo Station's taxi road, in York Road and outside St Thomas' Hospital.
The service – under the Londoner Buses brand – will run every 15 to 20 minutes between 9am and 5pm, seven days a week.
Tickets will be sold on board by a conductor at a £5 flat daily fare, making it more expensive than a TfL bus service but significantly cheaper than typical tourist bus operations. Cash and contactless cards will be accepted.
Freedom Passes won't be accepted on the service but senior citizens will be charged £4 for a day's travel on route A.
