London's traditional red buses get royal purple makeover for Queen's Jubilee celebrations
Eight of London's classic red buses have been given a royal purple makeover to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The vehicles began displaying their commemorative wraps on the capital’s roads on Friday ahead of the June Bank Holiday weekend festivities.
Transport for London (TfL) said the revamp was funded by operators Arriva, RATP, Abellio, Go-Ahead, Metroline and Stagecoach.
Passengers using the new Elizabeth line, Jubilee line or stations with a royal link in their name will see and hear celebratory messages over the Jubilee weekend between Thursday June 2 and Sunday June 5.
Station announcements and digital platform displays at stations such as Walthamstow Queen’s Road, Queensbury and Royal Victoria will “help Londoners and visitors get into the party spirit”, according to TfL.
The Elizabeth Line is set to open on May 24, in the latest phase of the long-delayed Crossrail project.
The line is named in honour of her Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and will open just eight days before the Jubilee weekend.
TfL's chief operating officer Andy Lord said of the transport organisation's Jubilee effort: “I hope that Londoners and visitors alike will enjoy looking out for our celebratory bus wraps and station activities while making the most of what the capital has to offer during the bank holiday weekend.”
Passengers are being warned to expect “short-term safety measures” such as queuing and closures of stations and roads due to the anticipated increase in travel over the long weekend.
Key interchanges are expected to be particularly busy on the Saturday night and Sunday daytime.
People should “avoid driving in central London” over the Jubilee weekend as large events “are expected to cause travel disruption,” TfL advised.
The festivities will begin on the Thursday with Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s official birthday parade.
TfL often carries out engineering work during bank holiday periods, but there are no planned closures over the Jubilee weekend.
Tune into the ITV News podcast the Royal Rota, and find out the latest updates on the Jubilee celebrations plans...