Transport for London1956
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© TfL, Source: London's Transport Museum
Routemaster buses began to be introduced in 1956. Although these were cheap to maintain and as comfortable as most private cars at the time, they struggled to provide a reliable service as London's roads became increasingly congested.
By the 1950s, congestion in both central London and the busier suburbs slowed buses down to the speeds of little better than those achieved by the horse-drawn carriages of the 19th century.
