London's Advert Buses

London’s Advert Buses

A fixture of London Transport in the 1970s, the all-over advert bus was relaunched by the modern Transport for London (TfL) at the turn of the millennium, and since then the concept has exploded. With each year that passes, hundreds of London buses are adorned with intricate and imaginative adverts printed on durable vinyl. The easily removable nature of this material means that buses can swap adverts quickly whenever one advertising contract ends and another begins. Some vehicles could carry up to four adverts in any one calendar year.

The characteristic New Bus for London, aka ‘Borismaster’, designed specifically for London needs, has proved to be the most prolific carrier of these adverts. The majority of the thousand-strong fleet of TfL-owned buses, which are divided among several operators, have carried such ads in their decade in service. Most older double-deck types have also been treated to adverts, generally omitting the front design and latterly concentrating on in-house publicity for TfL’s own services and fare bulletins.

This book contains more than 230 colour photographs of the fast-changing all-over advert scene on London’s buses, covering an enormous variety of subjects including fashion, food and drink, technology, entertainment, travel, property and even dating.

Available: NOW

ISBN: 978 1 80282 754 5

Price: £16.99

Series: Britain’s Buses Series, vol 15

Format: Paperback, 96 pages

Author: Matthew Wharmby