LONDON HALF-CAB FAREWELL

As a result of changes in the provision of funding for new bus acquisitions in the late 1960s, the production of traditional half-cab double-deckers ceased in 1970. By the late 1970s these buses were becoming increasingly rare, with the exception of the long-lived Routemaster in the Greater London area. Even relatively new buses were being withdrawn as the economics offered by OMO operation proved irresistible.

The traditional half-cab, however, had a final swansong in the period immediately after Deregulation. Companies began to realise they could gain a competitive edge by employing conductors, and this resulted in a significant number of operators acquiring second-hand Routemasters. However, this was to prove very short-lived as the bus industry quickly settled down after the initial adjustment period.

This nostalgic new volume provides a primarily pictorial chronicle of the final 30 years of half-cab operation. Covering the period from the mid-1970s through to the final withdrawal of the Routemasters, it is certain to delight road transport enthusiasts and modellers.