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 less artistic 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!

    Just 90 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, costing just £2 and valid on all regular bus routes, offers a wonderful way to see the sights of 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 to let people 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 pretty 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 a legend in itself! With its open platform at the back end, the Routemaster is still the most popular bus in London, because passengers can climb on and off when they want, even if the bus is moving (though this is not recommended!) These buses were designed specially for London, by people who knew what London needed, and they have served their purpose well! What other city operates hundreds of buses that are not only popular, practical, and well-built, but also over forty years old in many cases?
    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 assistance 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 stipulate that new buses for public transport must have doors.
    London, however, has resisted the bureaucrats! Determined to keep the buses that Londoners (and tourists) want, London Transport has decided to keep the old Routemasters going as long as possible. Five hundred of the solid and popular old buses have been extensively renovated, and are now back on the road as good as new, if not better!

    So next time you go to London, there's no need to hurry to travel on "one of those old buses" before it's too late! You may well have another thirty years in which to enjoy the pleasure!

WORDS:

advertise: publicise, promote - department stores: big shops with lots of different departments - double decker: with two levels - drawn: to draw, to pull - events: occasions, special presentations - hunt: look for hurry: go fast - 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.

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

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 £2 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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