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Originally published in Freeway magazine.
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| BIG RED LONDON
BUSES |
 What is the
best-known symbol of London? Big Ben? The statue of Eros in Picadilly
Circus?
Or could it be something much more ordinary than that? Could it be the
big red London double-decker
bus?
It certainly could. Big red buses
are recognised - and even found - all over the world, and people
recognise
them as symbols of London. Visitors climb into London buses to go and
see
the Niagara Falls. London buses can be seen driving round Europe to advertise
big department
stores, or British events
.
They don't need to have the words "London Transport" on the side of
them:
they are instantly recognised by millions of people!
It was almost 100 years ago, on October
25th
1911, the London General Omnibus Company ran their last horse-drawn omnibus
through the streets
of the capital. Since then
the big red motor bus has been London's "king of the road".
Today, every day, thousands of Londoners
use the big red buses to move - often slowly - around town; and lots of
tourists know that a one-day London bus pass, valid
on all regular bus routes, offers
a wonderful way to see Britain's capital city.
The idea of the "double decker" is
actually much older than the motor bus; it is simply a continuation of
the system that was used for public transport in the age of horse-drawn
vehicles, when some of the passengers sat inside, and the rest
travelled
on the roof. Too bad if it was raining!
The earliest horse-drawn double-deckers
in London had steps at the back, so that people could climb up
onto the roof.
The
main difference with today's buses was that in those days, there was no
protection for the people travelling on top: if it rained, they could
pull
a sort of oil-cloth cover out of the back of the seat in front of them,
and pull it over them; but they still got wet.
Today the only open-topped buses are
the special tourist buses.
It wasn't until the 1930's that all
new buses came equipped with roofs over the upper deck! Increasingly
powerful engines meant that buses could be bigger and heavier; like
trams,
they could then have roofs.
The most famous London buses, however,
are not those that filled the Capital's streets in the 1930's, but the
powerful "Routemasters" which date from the 1950's and 60's. These are
the buses that have been taken all over the world, the buses that you
can
see in the tourist brochures, and the ones which have been sold, in
miniature,
to millions of visitors and souvenir hunters.
The Routemaster is an icon in itself!
With its open platform at the back end, the Routemaster was the
most
popular bus in London, because passengers could climb on and
off anywhere, even if the bus was moving (though this is not
recommended!)
These
buses were designed specially for London, by people who knew what
London
needed, and they served
their purpose well, and did so
for half a century !
Things started to go wrong for the
London bus in the late 1960's. That was when the Ministry of Transport
decided that it would only give financial help to bus companies
that
bought new buses with doors! Suddenly London Transport found they could
no longer buy any more of their favourite Routemasters, that they had
designed.
They had instead to choose other models. Today, European Union rules
also say that new buses for public transport must have doors.
London, however, resisted the
bureaucrats! Determined to keep the buses that Londoners (and tourists)
want, London Transport decided to keep the old Routemasters
going
as
long as possible. Five hundred of the solid and popular old buses
were extensively renovated, and put back on the road as good
as
new,
if not better! But not even the Routemaster could resist the winds of
change. Modern transport systems require one-man buses, not buses with
both a driver and
a conductor. So in 2005, the old Routemasters were finally taken out of
normal service.
Still, it's not too late to enjoy travelling on one of these historic
buses. Some of the old buses have been preserved, and are used on two
"heritage routes" through the centre of London, specially for tourists.
Route 9 goes from the Royal Albert Hall to Aldwych, via
Piccadilly circus and Trafalgar Square. Route 15 goes from Trafalgar
Square to the Tower of London, via St. Paul's Cathedral. And
more of the old Routemasters are used by the tourist bus companies,
which offer trips round the centre of London.
WORDS:
advertise:
publicise, promote conductor:
on a bus, the man who sells tickets, not the driver. - department
stores: big shops with lots of different departments
- double
decker: with two levels - drawn:
to draw, to pull
- events:
occasions, special
presentations - horse-drawn:
pulled by horses - hunt:
look for- increasingly:
more
and more - omnibus:
bus - pass:
an unlimited
ticket - serve their
purpose: do
what they are meant to do
- trams:
buses that run on rails
- are valid:
can be used.
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WORKSHEET
Prepositions
Complete this extract from the
text, replacing the missing prepositions:
at - for - in - in - in - of -
of - of - of - on - onto - out - over - over - until - up - with - with
The earliest horse-drawn double-deckers ________ London had steps
_______ the back so that people could climb _______ _______ the roof.
The main
difference ________ today's buses was that _______ those days, there
was no protection _______ the people travelling _______ top: if it
rained, they could pull a sort _______ oil-cloth cover _______ _______
the back _______ the seat _______ front _______ them, and pull it
_______ them.
It wasn't _______ the 1930's that all new buses came equipped _______
roofs _______ the upper deck!.
Text
contraction:
Taking the article paragraph by paragraph, get students to summarize
this article in less than half its length. To do this, they should
first of all write down a short sentence summarizing the essential
point(s) of each paragraph, then string these sentences together,
adding extra important information when appropriate.
QUESTIONS:
True or false: you may need to
reflect carefully to determine the answers to some of these statements:
1. There are buses that go from
London to Niagara Falls T / F
2. People recognise London buses because they have the words "London
Transport" on them. T / F
3. Motor buses operated in London before October 1911. T / F
4. A daily bus-pass does not allow people to use special tourist buses.
T / F
5. Some old horse-drawn buses had roofs over the top deck. T / F
6. Double-decker trams had roofs over the top deck. T / F
7. "Routemaster" buses have no doors at the back end. T / F
8. London Transport are now building new Routemaster buses, in spite of
European Union rules. T / F
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