Have fun at a bus open day

15 Jun 2015 12:31 PM

Head to southwest London this Saturday for Epsom Bus Garage's annual open day. 

Celebrating 95 years in business, the bus garage has a host of events and activities planned with all proceeds going to local charity the Epsom & Ewell Community Fund.

Visitors will have the chance to:

• Take free trips on a vintage bus
• See a range of buses, coaches, cars and motorcycles up close - some date back to 1906
• Get a closer look at a B-type bus in its World War I livery
• Talk to the Metropolitan Police Safer Transport Team
• Buy bus-inspired memorabilia
• Enjoy tea and cake at the nearby Cafe Richmond

Younger visitors can also have fun in the Jungle Bus, have a go on a bouncy castle and get their faces painted.

Check back for dates of other bus garage open days this year. 

Find out more about buses at tfl.gov.uk. For more about the open day go to www.epsomcoaches.com and search for 'open day'

Fun facts about London buses

Mind the gap

On 28 December, 1952 Albert Gunter was driving a busy double-decker RT bus on route 78 across Tower Bridge.

When the bridge started opening in front of him, quick-thinking Albert accelerated over the gap, safely landing the bus on the other side.

None of the passengers were seriously injured, although the conductor broke his leg, and Albert was awarded the princely sum of £10 for his bravery.

Shaken, not stirred

Not many London Transport bus driving instructors get to stand in for James Bond, but that's exactly what Maurice Patchett did in the 1972 film, Live and Let Die.

Maurice was flown to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to drive a doubledecker green RT-4755 in the famous sequence where its top deck gets sheared off under a bridge.

Our friends, electric

Diesel-electric hybrid buses were introduced on route 360 in 2006, but these were not the first electric hybrids to be seen in the Capital.

In 1889 the first single-decker battery-electric omnibus and, in 1902, a Fischer petrol-electric bus, were tested.

However both proved unsuccessful and never entered general service.

Bus babies

Three babies have been born on London buses and they have all been boys.

The first was born on a route 394 in 2009, the second on route 145 in 2011, and the third on route 106 in 2012.