'Saturday: the new vehicle, called the Omnibus commenced running from Paddington Green to the City, and excited considerable notice, both from the novel form of the carriage and the elegance with which it is tted out.'
This week the London Bus, symbol of Britain for foreign tourists and a love-hate object for its users, celebrates its 150th birthday. Nancy Wise traces the history of the omnibus from its elegant, horse-drawn start, through the era of the piratecompanies,and heroic deeds at the Front, to its present position of providing the means for Londoners to make more than a billion journeys over the 179-million route miles each year.
Reader BRIAN CARROLL Producer PAT TAYLOR BBC Birmingham