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 century, 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 may thus 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 and latterly concentrating on in-house publicity for TfL's own services and fare bulletins. This book contains more than 230 previously unpublished colour photographs of the fast-changing all-over advert scene on London's buses, covering an enormous variety of subjects including fashion, food and drink,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. AUTHOR: Matthew Wharmby is an author and editor specialising in London bus history, with articles and photographs published in numerous magazines and over 25 books to his credit.