…was the surprise appearance on London’s streets of the old Routemaster bus. As the bus companies had to lay on extra buses this morning, a few of these 1960s icons were. They were a joy to behold, and not just for nostalgic reasons. Never was a vehicle so perfectly designed for purpose. With a conductor on board and an open back platform that allows passengers to jump on and off, they were so much quicker and more efficient than their lumbering, overblown replacements. But I have a special reason for loving them. My mum was a conductor on the Number 16 from Cricklewood to Victoria. My dad, newly arrived in London, was a regular passenger from his digs on the Edgware Road. So I owe my very existence to the Number 16. And if a Routemaster had run over whoever called the tube strike, my day would have been almost perfect.
The only good thing about the tube strike…

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