London buses: What happened to London’s bendy buses?

But in 2011, London ceased operation of the fleet, changing the roads of the capital forevermore.

Now, it’s much more common to see the new Routemaster transporting Londoners across the region. 

But, if you have ever wondered what happened to the bendy buses in London, then look no further.

What happened to the bendy buses in London?

Before he was Prime Minster of the UK, Boris Johnson was the Mayor of London and as part of his 2008 campaign, he pledged to take the bendy buses off the streets.

Johnson shared that the buses “wipe out cyclists” with accusations at the time claiming they killed cyclists, although this was later found out to be false.

The buses left London roads in 2011. (Image: Oxyman, via Wikimedia Commons)

According to MyLondon, the former Mayor of London once described the bendy buses as “writhing whales of the road (which) have swung their hefty rear ends round our corners for the final time” 

After winning the election, Johnson got to work removing the bendy buses in London with a plan that should have seen all buses removed by 2013 before it was brought forward to 2011.

Aside from Johnsons’ promise, the bendy buses were also removed over safety concerns, with fires taking place on the buses from December 2003 to March 2004.

For a period of time, the bendy buses were removed from London whilst they were modified for safety.

Once the last bendy bus made its journey in London, they were sent to Malta where they were used for some time.

However, in 2014, the Maltese transport ministry banned the 81 bendy buses after fires and accidents on the service.

After they were banned, it’s believed that London’s bendy buses ended up in storage whilst others were left to root in a yard.