A bus conductor (also referred to as a conductor or clippie ) is a person (other than the driver) responsible for collecting fares from bus passengers. Bus conductors may also be responsible for helping passengers to board, keeping the bus route on schedule, attracting potential passengers to the vehicle, and announcing bus stops.
115-665: In the late 1950s, new double-decker bus designs appeared in the United Kingdom that provided higher capacity, with the engine compartment at the rear and the entrance door by the driver. From July 1966, United Kingdom transport regulations were changed to allow the operation of urban double-deck buses by the driver only, who could now collect fares and supervise all passenger loading and unloading. Some municipal operators adopted rear-engine bus designs and "one-person operation" quickly, others more slowly. More conservative municipal operators continued to order new half-cab buses through
230-472: A Bronze Age bridge were found on the south River Thames foreshore, upstream from Vauxhall Bridge . Two of the timbers were radiocarbon dated to 1750–1285 BC. In 2010, foundations of a large timber structure, dated to 4800–4500 BC, were found on the Thames' south foreshore downstream from Vauxhall Bridge. Both structures are on the south bank of the Thames, where the now-underground River Effra flows into
345-617: A before-tax loss of £780,217 (equivalent to £2,039,000 in 2023) compared to a budgeted profit of £339,000 (equivalent to £886,000 in 2023). As a result, King was planned to be suspended for mishandling company finances by KHCT managing director Keith Barstow, however King decided to resign his position after refusing to meet with Barstow or financial investigators. The industrial tribunal ruled in May 1993 that no unfair dismissal compensation would be paid to King because he had resigned his post instead of being suspended. As of December 1985, KHCT
460-598: A co-ordination agreement between the two operators in 1934, meaning they could gain a share of bus fares around the city. KHCT's operating area expanded throughout the 1970s with the construction of both the Bransholme and Orchard Park housing estates , and in 1980, KHCT entered into the Crown Card weekly ticket scheme with East Yorkshire. To comply with the Transport Act 1985 and ensuing deregulation of
575-475: A common feature of many bus services across Europe until the late 1970s and early 1980s. The main reason two-person crews were needed was that most towns and cities used double-decker buses for urban services. Until the 1960s, all double deck vehicles were built with front-mounted engines and a "half-cab" design, such as the AEC Routemaster bus built for London Transport . This layout totally separated
690-468: A conductor instead of a driver. In Ireland, one-person operation was originally scheduled to commence on state-owned CIÉ 's Dublin bus services in 1964. However, repeated protests from transport unions resulted in conductors being retained on all bus services through to the mid-1980s. The first one-person operated bus services in Dublin would commence 18 years later than planned on 9 March 1986 after CIÉ and
805-542: A larger area, similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are excluded and some just outside included. The Greater London boundary has been aligned to the M25 motorway in places. Further urban expansion is now prevented by the Metropolitan Green Belt , although the built-up area extends beyond the boundary in places, producing a separately defined Greater London Urban Area . Beyond this
920-689: A low-cost subsidiary of KHCT until being wound up in 1992. The company also diversified its core business to bring in additional income, forming a vehicle engineering firm named 'The Garage' at the company's former Liverpool Street central works and separate car and taxi hire franchises in Hull and Anlaby respectively. As a consequence of competition on its core bus network, however, KHCT incurred heavy losses, losing £2 million (equivalent to £5,146,000 in 2023) and incurring £782,000 (equivalent to £2,012,000 in 2023) in debts in 1993. KHCT's external ventures were sold or dissolved throughout 1992, and
1035-562: A number of bus routes in central London until late 2005, well beyond their demise in the rest of the United Kingdom. This reprieve for conductors was due to London Transport and its 1984 successor London Regional Transport 's continued use of the Routemaster bus on some of the busiest routes in the most congested parts of central London. The Routemaster remained favoured due to its robustness and manoeuvrability, fast passenger loading/unloading capability and fast fare collection performed by
1150-403: A population density of 802 per acre (325 per hectare). In addition to the growing number of stores selling goods, such as Harding, Howell & Co. —one of the first department stores —located on Pall Mall , the streets had scores of street sellers . London's overcrowded conditions led to cholera epidemics, claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866. Rising traffic congestion led to
1265-573: A population of 7,172,036 in 2001 and a population density of 11,760 inhabitants per square mile (4,542/km ). The extended area known as the London Metropolitan Region or the London Metropolitan Agglomeration, comprises a total area of 3,236 square miles (8,382 km ) has a population of 13,709,000 and a population density of 3,900 inhabitants per square mile (1,510/km ). Modern London stands on
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#17327867032401380-580: A post- Brexit exodus of stock listings from the London Stock Exchange , London remains a European economic powerhouse, and one of the world's major financial centres . It hosts Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions , some of which are the highest-ranked academic institutions in the world: Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences , the London School of Economics in social sciences , and
1495-546: A seven-car pileup and overturned off the Sutton Road Bridge down 30 feet (9.1 m) into an allotment garden. The driver of the bus was hospitalised as a result of the crash. On 17 October 1986, a KHCT double-decker was stolen and taken on an hour-long joyride in the middle of the night through Hull city centre; the bus eventually broke down and collided with a tree on the Ings Road Estate. The driver
1610-476: A single Daimler Fleetline . In 1989, the company was acquired by KHCT, with the fleet replaced by older buses transferred from the main KHCT fleet. These buses were painted into a green variant of KHCT livery with Citilink fleetnames. Following a scaling-back of operations, however, Citilink buses were repainted into an all-white livery for exclusive use on Hull City Council contract school services. The Citilink brand
1725-489: A straplined logo reading "Employee Owners Working for You" similar to that of Cleveland's adopted, and a year later, the deal led to KHCT's ' bus war ' with EYMS ending after both companies agreed to co-ordinate their Hull timetables. Half of the city council's £2.7 million (equivalent to £6,947,000 in 2023) profit from the sale, however, was lost to a £1.4 million (equivalent to £3,602,000 in 2023) debt owned to Humberside County Council , and immediately after
1840-551: A temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ). Rainfall records have been kept in the city since at least 1697, when records began at Kew . At Kew, the most rainfall in one month is 7.4 inches (189 mm) in November 1755 and the least is 0 inches (0 mm) in both December 1788 and July 1800. Mile End also had 0 inches (0 mm) in April 1893. The wettest year on record is 1903, with a total fall of 38.1 inches (969 mm) and
1955-699: Is 1,049.8 millibars (31.00 inHg) on 20 January 2020. Summers are generally warm, sometimes hot. London's average July high is 23.5 °C (74.3 °F). On average each year, London experiences 31 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 4.2 days above 30.0 °C (86.0 °F). During the 2003 European heat wave , prolonged heat led to hundreds of heat-related deaths. A previous spell of 15 consecutive days above 32.2 °C (90.0 °F) in England in 1976 also caused many heat related deaths. A previous temperature of 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) in August 1911 at
2070-562: Is agreed that the name came into these languages from Common Brythonic ; recent work tends to reconstruct the lost Celtic form of the name as * Londonjon or something similar. This was then adapted into Latin as Londinium and borrowed into Old English. Until 1889, the name "London" applied officially only to the City of London , but since then it has also referred to the County of London and to Greater London . In 1993, remains of
2185-545: Is formed of two tiers: a citywide, strategic tier and a local tier. Citywide administration is coordinated by the Greater London Authority (GLA), while local administration is carried out by 33 smaller authorities. The GLA consists of two elected components: the mayor of London , who has executive powers , and the London Assembly , which scrutinises the mayor's decisions and can accept or reject
2300-760: Is headquartered in Thames House on the north bank of the River Thames and the foreign intelligence service ( MI6 ) is headquartered in the SIS Building on the south bank. Crime rates vary widely across different areas of London. Crime figures are made available nationally at Local Authority and Ward level. In 2015, there were 118 homicides, a 25.5% increase over 2014. Recorded crime has been rising in London, notably violent crime and murder by stabbing and other means have risen. There were 50 murders from
2415-592: Is held by an independent . The ministerial post of minister for London was created in 1994, however as of 2024, the post has been vacant. Policing in Greater London, with the exception of the City of London , is provided by the Metropolitan Police ("The Met"), overseen by the mayor through the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The Met is also referred to as Scotland Yard after
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#17327867032402530-500: Is known as London . It is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England by convention rather than statute. The capital of England was moved to London from Winchester as the Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the permanent location of the royal court , and thus the political capital of the nation. Greater London encompasses a total area of 611 square miles (1,583 km ) an area which had
2645-523: Is the vast London commuter belt . Greater London is split for some purposes into Inner London and Outer London , and by the River Thames into North and South , with an informal central London area. The coordinates of the nominal centre of London, traditionally the original Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross near the junction of Trafalgar Square and Whitehall , are about 51°30′26″N 00°07′39″W / 51.50722°N 0.12750°W / 51.50722; -0.12750 . Within London, both
2760-517: The 2012 Summer Olympics . London is an ancient name, attested in the first century AD, usually in the Latinised form Londinium . Modern scientific analyses of the name must account for the origins of the different forms found in early sources: Latin (usually Londinium ), Old English (usually Lunden ), and Welsh (usually Llundein ), with reference to the known developments over time of sounds in those different languages. It
2875-540: The Black Death in the mid-14th century, London lost nearly a third of its population. London was the focus of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. London was a centre of England's Jewish population before their expulsion by Edward I in 1290. Violence against Jews occurred in 1190, when it was rumoured that the new king had ordered their massacre after they had presented themselves at his coronation. In 1264 during
2990-589: The Canary Wharf development. This was born out of London's increasing role as an international financial centre in the 1980s. Located about 2 miles (3 km) east of central London, the Thames Barrier was completed in the 1980s to protect London against tidal surges from the North Sea . The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, leaving London with no central administration until 2000 and
3105-505: The City of London , was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster , to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of the national government and parliament . London grew rapidly in the 19th century , becoming the world's largest city at the time . Since the 19th century, the name "London" has referred to
3220-672: The Corn Laws in 1846 was specifically aimed at weakening Dutch economic power. London then overtook Amsterdam as the leading international financial centre. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, an unprecedented growth in urbanisation took place, and the number of High Streets (the primary street for retail in Britain) rapidly grew. London was the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925 , with
3335-568: The Georgian era , new districts such as Mayfair were formed in the west; new bridges over the Thames encouraged development in South London . In the east, the Port of London expanded downstream. London's development as an international financial centre matured for much of the 18th century. In 1762, George III acquired Buckingham House , which was enlarged over the next 75 years. During
3450-634: The King's Road , Chelsea and Carnaby Street . The role of trendsetter revived in the punk era. In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded in response to the growth of the urban area and a new Greater London Council was created. During The Troubles in Northern Ireland, London was hit from 1973 by bomb attacks by the Provisional Irish Republican Army . These attacks lasted for two decades, starting with
3565-687: The London Ambulance Service (LAS) NHS Trust , the largest free-at-the-point-of-use emergency ambulance service in the world. The London Air Ambulance charity operates in conjunction with the LAS where required. Her Majesty's Coastguard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution operate on the River Thames , which is under the jurisdiction of the Port of London Authority from Teddington Lock to
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3680-782: The Mediterranean was normally through Antwerp and over the Alps ; any ships passing through the Strait of Gibraltar to or from England were likely to be Italian or Ragusan . The reopening of the Netherlands to English shipping in January 1565 spurred a burst of commercial activity. The Royal Exchange was founded. Mercantilism grew and monopoly traders such as the East India Company were founded as trade expanded to
3795-613: The New Model Army entered London in 1647, and they were levelled by Parliament the same year. London was plagued by disease in the early 17th century, culminating in the Great Plague of 1665–1666, which killed up to 100,000 people, or a fifth of the population. The Great Fire of London broke out in 1666 in Pudding Lane in the city and quickly swept through the wooden buildings. Rebuilding took over ten years and
3910-564: The New World . London became the main North Sea port, with migrants arriving from England and abroad. The population rose from about 50,000 in 1530 to about 225,000 in 1605. In the 16th century, William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived in London during English Renaissance theatre . Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was constructed in 1599 in Southwark . Stage performances came to a halt in London when Puritan authorities shut down
4025-612: The Old Bailey bombing . Racial inequality was highlighted by the 1981 Brixton riot . Greater London's population declined in the decades after the Second World War, from an estimated peak of 8.6 million in 1939 to around 6.8 million in the 1980s. The principal ports for London moved downstream to Felixstowe and Tilbury , with the London Docklands area becoming a focus for regeneration, including
4140-662: The Second Barons' War , Simon de Montfort 's rebels killed 500 Jews while attempting to seize records of debts. During the Tudor period , the Reformation produced a gradual shift to Protestantism . Much of London property passed from church to private ownership, which accelerated trade and business in the city. In 1475, the Hanseatic League set up a main trading base ( kontor ) of England in London, called
4255-585: The Stalhof or Steelyard . It remained until 1853, when the Hanseatic cities of Lübeck , Bremen and Hamburg sold the property to South Eastern Railway . Woollen cloth was shipped undyed and undressed from 14th/15th century London to the nearby shores of the Low Countries . Yet English maritime enterprise hardly reached beyond the seas of north-west Europe . The commercial route to Italy and
4370-547: The Thames , its primary geographical feature, a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The Thames Valley is a flood plain surrounded by gently rolling hills including Parliament Hill , Addington Hills , and Primrose Hill . Historically London grew up at the lowest bridging point on the Thames. The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river with extensive marshlands ; at high tide, its shores reached five times their present width. Since
4485-660: The Tower of London ; the site featuring the Palace of Westminster , Church of St. Margaret , and Westminster Abbey ; and the historic settlement in Greenwich where the Royal Observatory defines the prime meridian (0° longitude ) and Greenwich Mean Time . Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace , the London Eye , Piccadilly Circus , St Paul's Cathedral , Tower Bridge , and Trafalgar Square . The city has
4600-533: The Victorian era the Thames has been extensively embanked , and many of its London tributaries now flow underground . The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. The threat has increased over time because of a slow but continuous rise in high water level caused by climate change and by the slow 'tilting' of the British Isles as a result of post-glacial rebound . London has
4715-575: The capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom , with a population of 8,866,180 in 2022. The wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe , with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea , and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre ,
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4830-562: The metropolis around the City of London, historically split between the counties of Middlesex , Essex , Surrey , Kent , and Hertfordshire , which since 1965 has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London , governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority . As one of the world's major global cities , London exerts a strong influence on world art , entertainment, fashion , commerce, finance, education , healthcare , media , science, technology, tourism , transport , and communications. Despite
4945-522: The 'Coronet Tours' programme of holidays across the United Kingdom. Kingstonian directly competed with other tour operators in the Hull and Humberside area, and it was alleged in its early years that the operation was running at a heavy loss at the Hull taxpayer's expense. As well as its core operations across Hull and Humberside , the Kingstonian coaching arm also expanded into Continental Europe shortly after deregulation with KHCT's acquisition of
5060-569: The 11th century, London was clearly the largest town in England. Westminster Abbey , rebuilt in Romanesque style by King Edward the Confessor , was one of the grandest churches in Europe. Winchester had been the capital of Anglo-Saxon England , but from this time London became the main forum for foreign traders and the base for defence in time of war. In the view of Frank Stenton : "It had
5175-502: The 18th century, London was said to be dogged by crime, and the Bow Street Runners were established in 1750 as a professional police force. Epidemics during the 1720s and 30s saw most children born in the city die before reaching their fifth birthday. Coffee-houses became a popular place to debate ideas, as growing literacy and development of the printing press made news widely available, with Fleet Street becoming
5290-601: The 1960s, but this type of vehicle ceased production in the UK by about 1970. This was accelerated by a UK Government grant that supported purchasing "one person operated" vehicles, but was not available for purchasing traditional half-cab buses. In the 1970s in South Korea, bus conductors worked up to 19 hours a day, from 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and the Labor Standards Act was not followed, with hours worse than in
5405-562: The 1970s; further orders for fifteen more Metrobuses, as well as 20 Leyland B15 Titans were cancelled due to production delays and build quality issues and respectively, with these buses replaced with further orders for Leyland Atlanteans. Between 1984 and 1990, KHCT purchased 51 Dennis Dominators , built with both Alexander and East Lancs bodywork, as well as sixteen Scania N113s built with East Lancs bodywork. A small handful of Alexander and East Lancs-bodied Dominators were delivered with coach seating between 1984 and 1985 for use in
5520-775: The Anlaby Road premises included light and heavy vehicle repairs, painting and washing, as well as providing driver training courses for both bus and car drivers. A car hire firm named Taits Cars was maintained by The Garage in Hull and a taxi firm named Taits Taxis in Anlaby. These were all either dissolved or merged in 1992 amid the reorganisation of KHCT in 1992. During the trial of KHCT's finance director John King by an industrial tribunal on claims of unfair dismissal , from 1991 until its closure, The Garage had been suffering from serious financial irregularities. This resulted in an investigation by KPMG which found The Garage had made
5635-420: The City of London and the City of Westminster have city status . The City of London and the remainder of Greater London are both counties for the purposes of lieutenancies . The area of Greater London includes areas that are part of the historic counties of Middlesex , Kent , Surrey , Essex and Hertfordshire . More recently, Greater London has been defined as a region of England and in this context
5750-468: The Kingstonian fleet as 'Superdeckers' and 'Turbodeckers' respectively, and in 1988, six Scania N112 single decker coaches with East Lancs bodies, branded as 'City Slickers', were delivered as the first single-deckers bought new by KHCT for 23 years. KHCT's final new double-decker buses were three Northern Counties Palatine bodied Volvo Olympians , identical in specification to five delivered to parent Cleveland Transit, which were delivered shortly after
5865-603: The London area. This called for the Corporation of the city to extend its jurisdiction and administration over expanding areas around the city. Fearing an attempt by the Crown to diminish the Liberties of London , coupled with a lack of interest in administering these additional areas or concern by city guilds of having to share power, caused the Corporation's "The Great Refusal", a decision which largely continues to account for
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#17327867032405980-483: The Routemaster's open rear platform. There were also increasingly frequent robberies and attacks on conductors, who could find themselves working in an isolated and vulnerable environment. The last regular Routemaster-operated service was on route 159 from Marble Arch to Streatham . Conductor operation finally ceased on the 159 on 9 December 2005. However, heritage bus routes utilising the Routemaster were introduced that year, these numbered route 9H and 15H . Route 9H
6095-409: The Thames. Despite the evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans around 47 AD, about four years after their invasion of 43 AD. This only lasted until about 61 AD, when the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed it and burnt it to the ground. The next planned incarnation of Londinium prospered, superseding Colchester as
6210-415: The United Kingdom's population and over 16% of England's population. The Greater London Built-up Area is the fourth-most populous in Europe, with about 9.8 million inhabitants as of 2011. The London metropolitan area is the third-most populous in Europe, with about 14 million inhabitants as of 2016, making London a megacity . Four World Heritage Sites are located in London: Kew Gardens ;
6325-405: The Viking incursions formally agreed by the Danish warlord , Guthrum and the West Saxon king Alfred the Great in 886. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Alfred "refounded" London in 886. Archaeological research shows this involved abandonment of Lundenwic and a revival of life and trade within the old Roman walls . London then grew slowly until a dramatic increase in about 950. By
6440-409: The acquisition by Stagecoach in 1994. A woman was killed and 28 people were injured, eight seriously, when a KHCT double-decker bus and a Dutch tanker truck collided at the junction of Leads Road and Sutton Road on 12 December 1975, with the bus also hitting a car and a set of traffic lights. On 8 February 1983, a KHCT double-decker running empty to Bransholme slipped on ice while trying to avoid
6555-404: The bus industry, on 27 July 1986, the assets of KHCT were transferred to a new legal entity, Kingston upon Hull City Transport Ltd., which was soon followed by the closure of bus garages on Cottingham Road and Holderness Road, resulting in a significant downsizing of KHCT's bus fleet. Following deregulation taking effect on 26 October 1986, the co-ordination agreement between KHCT and EYMS, which
6670-456: The central area) have been operated by modern driver-only vehicles since the late 1980s, twenty regular routes retained Routemasters and their conductors. Between 2003 and 2005, all of these were progressively converted to low-floor modern vehicles and one-person operation. The process was largely driven by political views on disability accessibility and was encouraged, to some extent, by the increase in litigious passengers claiming injuries due to
6785-437: The centre of the British press. The invasion of Amsterdam by Napoleonic armies led many financiers to relocate to London and the first London international issue was arranged in 1817. Around the same time, the Royal Navy became the world's leading war fleet, acting as a major deterrent to potential economic adversaries. Following a fire in 1838, the Royal Exchange was redesigned by William Tite and rebuilt in 1844. The repeal of
6900-425: The city's metropolis. The City of London at its core once comprised the whole settlement, but as its urban area grew, the Corporation of London resisted attempts to amalgamate the city with its suburbs , causing "London" to be defined several ways. Forty per cent of Greater London is covered by the London post town , in which 'London' forms part of postal addresses. The London telephone area code (020) covers
7015-412: The city, to intimidate the inhabitants. In 1097, William II began building Westminster Hall , near the abbey. It became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster . In the 12th century, the institutions of central government, which had hitherto followed the royal English court around the country, grew in size and sophistication and became increasingly fixed, for most purposes at Westminster , although
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#17327867032407130-443: The combined revenue expenditure by London councils and the GLA amounted to just over £22 billion (£14.7 billion for the boroughs and £7.4 billion for the GLA). The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for Greater London, run by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority . It is the third largest fire service in the world. National Health Service ambulance services are provided by
7245-486: The company today trades as Stagecoach in Hull . The Hull Corporation's first trams commenced operations in 1899, subsequently followed by the commencement of motorbus operations in 1909, using a fleet of six buses. Operations later restarted in 1921, expanding alongside the city's trolleybus network . During the Hull Blitz on the night of 7–8 May 1941, Hull Corporation's Central garage, close in proximity to Hull Paragon Interchange and several other city centre targets,
7360-412: The company were removed from the Crown Card ticket scheme amid sustained competition with EYMS. Faced with escalating financial losses and increased competition, Kingston upon Hull City Council sold KHCT to Stockton-on-Tees based Cleveland Transit in December 1993. This deal saw KHCT's employees take a 49% stake in the company, with a new livery of white and blue featuring a yellow band as well as
7475-405: The comprehensive University College London . It is the most visited city in Europe and has the world's busiest city airport system . The London Underground is the world's oldest rapid transit system. London's diverse cultures encompass over 300 languages. The 2023 population of Greater London of just under 10 million made it Europe's third-most populous city , accounting for 13.4% of
7590-414: The conductor and having the driver sell tickets. The hope was to have the benefits of one-person operation without the cost of replacing vehicles that still had remaining service life. This idea was soon scrapped and the buses reverted to conventional conductor operation. By the early 1980s, bus conductors were largely obsolete in all cities except London and Dublin . Two-person crews continued to operate
7705-500: The creation of the Greater London Authority . To mark the 21st century, the Millennium Dome , London Eye and Millennium Bridge were constructed. On 6 July 2005 London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics , as the first city to stage the Olympic Games three times. On 7 July 2005, three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus were bombed in a series of terrorist attacks . In 2008, Time named London alongside New York City and Hong Kong as Nylonkong , hailing them as
7820-419: The creation of the London Underground , the world's first urban rail network . The Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion in the capital and some surrounding counties; it was abolished in 1889 when the London County Council was created out of county areas surrounding the capital. From the early years of the 20th century onwards, teashops were found on High Streets across London and
7935-713: The driest is 1921, with a total fall of 12.1 inches (308 mm). The average annual precipitation amounts to about 600mm, which is half the annual rainfall of New York City . Despite relatively low annual precipitation, London receives 109.6 rainy days on the 1.0mm threshold annually. London is vulnerable to climate change , and there is concern among hydrological experts that households may run out of water before 2050. Temperature extremes in London range from 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) at Heathrow on 19 July 2022 down to −17.4 °C (0.7 °F) at Northolt on 13 December 1981. Records for atmospheric pressure have been kept at London since 1692. The highest pressure ever reported
8050-487: The driver from the passenger saloons. The conductor communicated with the driver using a series of bell codes, such as two bells to start (the "ding-ding"). Conductors were also employed on single-deck buses and coaches . In remote areas where these buses served such as in rural Ireland, conductors also had the responsibility of handling mail and passengers' luggage between stops. Some of these buses would therefore be built with dedicated parcel sections or roof racks for
8165-436: The driver via a bell, whistle, walkie talkies, or by shouting, "right!" ( Aa right in south India). Private bus conductors use whistles or just shout to the driver. It is also common practice for conductors to clap their hand firmly on the outside of the bus as a signal to the driver that all passengers have boarded and the bus is good to go. In India, the physical health of bus conductors is generally poor. Women began to enter
8280-609: The first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital. The mayor's statutory planning strategy is published as the London Plan , which was most recently revised in 2011. The local authorities are the councils of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation . They are responsible for most local services, such as local planning, schools, libraries, leisure and recreation, social services , local roads and refuse collection. Certain functions, such as waste management , are provided through joint arrangements. In 2009–2010
8395-809: The first municipal bus operator in Britain to phase out conductors on their services in November 1972. Many bus services now employ electronic fareboxes , proof-of-payment systems, transit passes and smart cards in lieu of bus conductors. Conductors around the world, especially female, suffer from poor physical and mental health due to inactivity, poor working conditions, and long hours, threats of violence by passengers and in robberies, and harassment (especially towards female conductors). In Nigeria , conductors are known as "agbero". Most conductors are adult men, but homeless children are also known to work as bus conductors. In Mozambique , government-employed conductors are only responsible for collecting fares, but privately employed conductors assist passengers and attend to
8510-610: The formerly Eastern National -owned Voyage National in France in 1988, followed by acquiring the family-owned Kivits Reizen of Vlijmen in the Netherlands in 1990. In the United Kingdom, KHCT acquired the coaching operations of York Pullman in February 1990, integrating it as a part of Kingstonian, and later took on a National Express coach service from York to London in May 1991. The Kingstonian arm suffered heavily amid KHCT's period of financial struggles. In 1992, York Pullman
8625-578: The introduction of the New Routemaster . Some of the routes served by the New Routemaster did not have conductors, so the service were driver-only operated, in which the driver controlled the three doors of the bus. The role of the conductor was to ensure passengers validated their Oyster card as they board the bus and supervised passengers using the open platform. These have since all been removed and buses now run one-person operation with
8740-640: The location of its original headquarters in a road called Great Scotland Yard in Whitehall. The City of London has its own police force – the City of London Police . First worn by Met police officers in 1863, the custodian helmet has been called a "cultural icon" and a "symbol of British law enforcement". Introduced by the Met in 1929, the blue police telephone box (basis for the TARDIS in Doctor Who )
8855-460: The manufacturing industry. Through the 1970s, the proportion of urban bus routes operated with conductors declined, as older vehicles were steadily replaced with new buses equipped for one-person operation, and operators grappled with staff shortages, rapidly increasing costs and falling usage. Kingston upon Hull City Transport , an early pioneer in one-person operation following the introduction of ten AEC Reliance single-deckers in May 1958, became
8970-458: The mayor's budget proposals each year. The GLA has responsibility for the majority of London's transport system through its functional arm Transport for London (TfL), it is responsible for overseeing the city's police and fire services, and also for setting a strategic vision for London on a range of issues. The headquarters of the GLA is City Hall , Newham. The mayor since 2016 has been Sadiq Khan ,
9085-565: The mechanical needs of the bus. Buses in Mauritius are operated with both a driver and a conductor. The bus conductor's job is mainly to collect money and hand out travel tickets to the passengers. Bus conductors still exist on some articulated buses in Beijing , such as Routes 1, 2, 5, 300, and 347. However, these bus conductors do not sell tickets, and instead mostly supervise fare collection from on-boarding passengers. Bus conductors were
9200-705: The most museums , art galleries, libraries, and cultural venues in the UK, including the British Museum , National Gallery , Natural History Museum , Tate Modern , British Library , and numerous West End theatres. Important sporting events held in London include the FA Cup Final , the Wimbledon Tennis Championships , and the London Marathon . It became the first city to host three Summer Olympic Games upon hosting
9315-675: The most diverse cities in the world. In 1951, the Festival of Britain was held on the South Bank . The Great Smog of 1952 led to the Clean Air Act 1956 , which ended the " pea soup fogs " for which London had been notorious, and had earned it the nickname the "Big Smoke". Starting mainly in the mid-1960s, London became a centre for worldwide youth culture , exemplified by the Swinging London sub-culture associated with
9430-467: The old Roman city. By about 680 the city had become a major port again, but there is little evidence of large-scale production. From the 820s repeated Viking assaults brought decline. Three are recorded; those in 851 and 886 succeeded, while the last, in 994, was rebuffed. The Vikings applied Danelaw over much of eastern and northern England, its boundary running roughly from London to Chester as an area of political and geographical control imposed by
9545-590: The open platform closed out of use. Stagecoach Strathtay used conductors on Tayway service 73 from Arbroath , Carnoustie and Monifieth to Ninewells Hospital . In September 2020, however, Stagecoach announced their intention to withdraw their final conductors from this service resulting in 31 redundancies. The operator attributes this to the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant drive towards contactless payment . Quantock Motor Services in Somerset operates
9660-490: The principal city of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of about 60,000. With the early 5th-century collapse of Roman rule, the walled city of Londinium was effectively abandoned, although Roman civilisation continued around St Martin-in-the-Fields until about 450. From about 500, an Anglo-Saxon settlement known as Lundenwic developed slightly west of
9775-545: The profession in India in 1980, although they were faced with threats of violence. Buses in specifically Kolkata are "staffed by two conductors...[who] operate at the front and rear doors of the bus." Indian actor Rajinikanth began acting in plays while working in the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. Kingston upon Hull City Transport Kingston upon Hull City Transport (KHCT)
9890-422: The public humiliation of conductors through them are challenged faced in the profession. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Qatar, and Sri Lanka bus conductors are almost always present inside the buses throughout the journey. They issue tickets, usually pre-printed or using electronic ticketing machines, help in crowd management or act as assistants to the drivers. Indian government bus conductors may communicate with
10005-588: The quickest operators of one-person operated buses, and on 10 November 1972, became the first bus operator in the United Kingdom to fully phase out the use of conductors . Earlier in the same year, Hull Corporation Transport was renamed to Kingston upon Hull City Transport (KHCT), coinciding with the introduction of a new fleet livery and uniform. Prior to deregulation , KHCT shared Hull's bus network with then- National Bus Company subsidiary East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS). Hull and surrounding suburban towns had been split into three joint fare zones following
10120-466: The resources, and it was rapidly developing the dignity and the political self-consciousness appropriate to a national capital ." After winning the Battle of Hastings , William, Duke of Normandy was crowned King of England in newly completed Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. William built the Tower of London , the first of many such in England rebuilt in stone in the south-eastern corner of
10235-641: The rest of Britain, with Lyons , who opened the first of their chain of teashops in Piccadilly in 1894, leading the way. The tearooms, such as the Criterion in Piccadilly, became a popular meeting place for women from the suffrage movement. The city was the target of many attacks during the suffragette bombing and arson campaign , between 1912 and 1914, which saw historic landmarks such as Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral bombed. London
10350-460: The royal treasury came to rest in the Tower . While the City of Westminster developed into a true governmental capital, its distinct neighbour, the City of London , remained England's largest city and principal commercial centre and flourished under its own unique administration, the Corporation of London . In 1100, its population was some 18,000; by 1300 it had grown to nearly 100,000. With
10465-447: The sale, 18 drivers and four managers were laid off by KHCT in an attempt by Cleveland Transit to make the company turn a profit. In November 1994, Cleveland Transit was sold to Stagecoach Holdings for £7.7 million (equivalent to £19,345,000 in 2023), resulting in KHCT becoming a subsidiary company of Stagecoach. The Transit-era KHCT blue and white livery was initially maintained by Stagecoach, however on 1 January 1996, KHCT
10580-546: The sea. London is the seat of the Government of the United Kingdom . Many government departments, as well as the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street , are based close to the Palace of Westminster , particularly along Whitehall . There are 75 members of Parliament (MPs) from London; As of June 2024 , 59 are from the Labour Party , 9 are Conservatives , 6 are Liberal Democrats and one constituency
10695-422: The service 400 'Exmoor Explorer' using crew-operated vintage open-top buses. In post-war Japan, "bus girls" (basu gāru) was a term referring to female conductors. The position was sexualized and glamorized, but was often dangerous and involved poor working conditions. In Brazil, the importance of public transportation in everyday life makes conductors essential to facilitating a passenger's schedule. Robberies and
10810-424: The start of 2018 to mid April 2018. Funding cuts to police in London are likely to have contributed to this, though other factors are involved. However, homicide figures fell in 2022 with 109 recorded for the year, and the murder rate in London is much lower than other major cities around the world. London, also known as Greater London , is one of nine regions of England and the top subdivision covering most of
10925-434: The start-up of Solent Blue Line , conductor buses returned to Southampton , where services were run in competition against Southampton Citybus on speeding up journey times, using second-hand Bristol VRTs . In retaliation, Southampton Citybus brought in ex-London Routemasters with a crew of conductors, these arrangements lasting until autumn 1989. Though the majority of bus services in central London (and all routes outside
11040-465: The stowage of such items. Many half-cab double-deckers were boarded from an open platform at the rear, while others were equipped with a forward entrance and staircase and driver-operated doors. Each case required a conductor to collect fares and, especially on the rear-entrance design, supervise passenger loading and unloading. Some bus services in the late 1960s and early 1970s experimented with later-model forward entrance half-cab double-deckers—removing
11155-753: The theatres in the 1640s. The ban on theatre was lifted during the Restoration in 1660, and London's oldest operating theatre, Drury Lane , opened in 1663 in what is now the West End theatre district. By the end of the Tudor period in 1603, London was still compact. There was an assassination attempt on James I in Westminster, in the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605. In 1637, the government of Charles I attempted to reform administration in
11270-661: The unions reached a settlement backed by the Labour Court in January 1986. CIÉ planned to convert three-quarters of its Dublin services to one-person operation within five years, however by 1987, workers at Clontarf bus garage would go on strike over the redeployment of 40 conductors from the garage. Conductors would be retained on Dublin Bus services as late as the mid-1990s, when the company introduced "autofare" one-person ticketing on services deemed to be at high risk for assaults on bus drivers and conductors. In May 1987, following
11385-715: The unique governmental status of the City . In the English Civil War , the majority of Londoners supported the Parliamentary cause. After an initial advance by the Royalists in 1642, culminating in the battles of Brentford and Turnham Green , London was surrounded by a defensive perimeter wall known as the Lines of Communication . The lines were built by up to 20,000 people, and were completed in under two months. The fortifications failed their only test when
11500-639: The world's three most influential global cities . In January 2015, Greater London's population was estimated to be 8.63 million, its highest since 1939. During the Brexit referendum in 2016, the UK as a whole decided to leave the European Union , but most London constituencies voted for remaining. However, Britain's exit from the EU in early 2020 only marginally weakened London's position as an international financial centre. The administration of London
11615-1078: Was bombed by the Germans in the First World War , and during the Second World War , the Blitz and other bombings by the German Luftwaffe killed over 30,000 Londoners, destroying large tracts of housing and other buildings across the city. The tomb of the Unknown Warrior , an unidentified member of the British armed forces killed during the First World War, was buried in Westminster Abbey on 11 November 1920. The Cenotaph , located in Whitehall ,
11730-675: Was a formerly municipally-owned bus operator providing services in the city of Kingston upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire , England. Founded in 1899 as part of the Hull Corporation 's Transport Department (often shortened to Hull Corporation Transport), KHCT was owned and operated by Kingston upon Hull City Council until bus deregulation in October 1986. Following purchase by the Stagecoach Group in 1994,
11845-754: Was acquired by EYMS and integrated into its own coaching operations in March 1997. Prior to the opening of the Humber Bridge on 24 June 1981, KHCT operated a short bus service between Hull bus station and the Corporation Pier for travellers using the Humber Ferry . Initially, the pier was served by the city's tramways, running as route P until becoming the first tram route in Hull to be converted to motorbus operation in September 1931. Route P
11960-399: Was arrested after serious damage had been caused to the stolen bus by ramming three other buses, three police cars pursuing the stolen bus and numerous parked cars, as well as crashing into street furniture and pedestrianisation-related roadworks around the city centre. [REDACTED] Media related to Kingston upon Hull City Transport at Wikimedia Commons London London is
12075-407: Was eventually wound up in September 1992 amid the reorganisation of KHCT's operations. KHCT founded the Kingstonian luxury hire coach operation in 1982, commencing operations with a fleet of three new Plaxton Supreme bodied Leyland Leopard coaches as well as the option to hire buses from the conventional double-decker fleet. Kingstonian soon expanded into the inclusive touring market, launching
12190-482: Was formally renamed Stagecoach Kingston upon Hull , later shortened to Stagecoach in Hull , with the Stagecoach corporate livery being introduced by the spring of 1996. Permission was granted by Hull City Council for Stagecoach to move operations from the former KHCT depot on Lombard Street to a new site on Foster Street, Stoneferry in November 1995, which was completed in 1996, and the Kingstonian coaching arm
12305-458: Was later renumbered to service 50, running in this form until withdrawal in 1981. Citilink was a low-cost bus operation set up by KHCT in order to compete with rival bus operators around Kingston upon Hull and surrounding areas. The brand was initially an independent bus operator set up by the owner of a toy shop in 1988 to compete with KHCT following deregulation, operating with a fleet consisting of an Optare CityPacer , two AEC Routemasters and
12420-637: Was now owned by its management, was abolished, and the two operators became engaged in competition from the late 1980s until 1994. Both companies began operating competitively on each other's network of services, while KHCT was challenged by smaller independent operators entering Hull's bus network, including City Traveller, Connor & Graham, Metro Citybus and Pride of the Road/North Bank Travel. These operators eventually went bankrupt or were taken over by either KHCT or EYMS, with an operator acquired in 1989 named Citilink being retained as
12535-437: Was once a common sight throughout London and regional cities in the UK. The British Transport Police are responsible for police services on National Rail , London Underground , Docklands Light Railway and Tramlink services. The Ministry of Defence Police is a special police force in London, which does not generally become involved with policing the general public. The UK's domestic counter-intelligence service ( MI5 )
12650-745: Was operating a fleet of 228 buses and coaches from three depots on Ferensway (Central), Cottingham Road and Holderness Road, with a central maintenance works also located on Liverpool Street near Hessle Road. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, KHCT standardised on the Leyland Atlantean rear-engined double-decker bus, purchasing 241 of the type between 1960 and 1981, a majority built with Charles H. Roe bodywork. Atlanteans built to one-person configuration from 1969 began replacing elderly conductor-operated half-cab buses, gradually converting KHCT services to one-person operation. Fleets of 30 Scania Metropolitans and 30 MCW Metrobuses were also acquired in
12765-455: Was severely damaged by bombing from the Luftwaffe . 44 motorbuses stored in the depot were destroyed, with another 21 damaged, forcing the Corporation to disperse its bus fleet across the city's various parks. The trolleybus network was officially abandoned on 31 October 1964, having been gradually replaced by fleets of Leyland Atlantean motorbuses. Hull Corporation Transport was one of
12880-586: Was sold to Durham Travel Services , Voyage National was sold in a management buyout , Kivits Reizen was sold to local coach operator Van Reesma, and Kingstonian's Coronet Tours programme was wound up ahead of the 1993 coach touring season. Kingstonian was retained by KHCT following its acquisition by Stagecoach Holdings in 1994, however the operation was eventually acquired by East Yorkshire Motor Services in March 1997 and integrated into East Yorkshire Coaches. KHCT set up The Garage as an external vehicle engineering venture following deregulation. Services offered at
12995-465: Was supervised by polymath Robert Hooke . In 1710, Christopher Wren 's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral , was completed, replacing its medieval predecessor that burned in the Great Fire of 1666. The dome of St Paul's dominated the London skyline for centuries, inspiring the artworks and writing of William Blake , with his 1789 poem " Holy Thursday " referring to 'the high dome of Pauls'. During
13110-524: Was unveiled on the same day, and is the focal point for the National Service of Remembrance held annually on Remembrance Sunday , the closest Sunday to 11 November. The 1948 Summer Olympics were held at the original Wembley Stadium , while London was still recovering from the war. From the 1940s, London became home to many immigrants, primarily from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, making London one of
13225-508: Was withdrawn in 2014, whilst route 15H was withdrawn at the end of the 2019 season, after having been reduced to summer weekends only. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, there was a revival in conductor operation on buses in the UK with the development of the FTR routes in York , Leeds and Swansea . As of 2020 however, these have all been withdrawn. Conductors also returned to London in 2012 with
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