All good things must come to an end. It is the price we all pay in the progress of life.

How true the above was when one of the icons of modern day culture and life has now disappeared into the history books and will make trips that will never end in the minds of the people who loved them.

Well, I’m talking about the demise of London’s famous red Routemaster buses. More info here

A sad day for transport enthusiasts around the world.

Am I a sad bus enthusiast? Kind of.. kind of. I don’t stand about on busy streets taking pictures of buses or take notes of their routes and timetables. I admire the design of buses. The sound of their hard working engines, and the interiors. Ever since I was a child Ive been strangely fascinated by buses.

Even to this day I have got this strange knack of remembering buses’ registration plates. In 1983, I somehow remembered a bus registration at the age of 5. The bus took me to school and I would always sit on the back seats as they were always warm due to them being near the engine.

In 2003, I started a love affair with someone and also with the city of Edinburgh. ( well Ive always loved Edinburgh, but now I passionately love Edinburgh ) I was walking along Princes Street when I saw a bus that looked familiar as did its registration plate.

The paint livery had changed, but the registration never. It was the old double decker bus I used to hop on to get to primary school. Here it was in Edinburgh, still serving the commuters. The bus is still in operation.

I wish I had a photo I could show in this post..

One day soon that bus will follow the old Routemasters into the great bus depot in the sky. It will be replaced by a horrid looking bus designed for transportation needs in the 21st century.

But why should bus designers forget about the look of a bus and just concentrate on finding a balance on the look of the bus and its function?

Perhaps the majority don’t care about the buses they travel on. As long as it gets them there.

Ahh the old Routemaster.. a good thing that had to come to an end. Just like the famous Leyland Atlanteans of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

That is the price we pay for progress..