Second Lives

Disposals from London Transport (or, later, London Country) began in 1964 and ended by 1971.

Some operators in the UK took RLHs for a few more years of continued public service: such as Samuel Ledgard of Yorkshire; Super Coaches and City Coach Lines (both of Upminster, Essex) and Whippet Coaches of Hilton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

In a similar time period some RLHs were used as staff buses: such as with Lesney Toys of Hackney, London; Elkes Biscuits of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire and Trebor-Sharps Ltd of Woodford Green, Essex.

The majority of the class were eventually exported, some via dealers. Most went to mainland USA, of which the most sizeable group to operate together worked for Massey Junior College, and three travelled on the RMS Queen Mary to Long Beach where they were then used for trips and tours. But some dispersed as far afield as New Zealand and Hawaii. Most of those exported would be painted red to appear as genuine London buses, even though the majority of the fleet was green when in service in the Country area of London. Some have appeared in Film and TV.

Current day maximum height restrictions in some countries preclude other double decker buses from operating, which has led to highbridge vehicles being modified by lowering the roofline. For the RLHs, the restrictions are less of a problem. Refer to the fleet list to see where RLHs still survive (or even operate for hire) today, or the Owners' Information if you are contemplating buying one.

Outline OSF Diagram red Outline OSF Diagram green

Return to top of page