40 The London Bus
Oxford Street
RIGHT: The last
Routemaster in
all-day service,
beautifully
refurbished
Arriva RM2217,
leaving Marble
Arch terminus at
the western end
of Oxford Street
around midday on
9 December 2005,
complete with
police escort, as
these iconic vehicles
finally bowed out
of mainstream
service. It was
40 years old and
others were up to
six years older.
BELOW: Nine
years earlier,
RM2217 —
photographed
turning from
Oxford Street into
Regent Street at
Oxford Circus —
was a regular on
route 159, painted
in this red and
cream livery.