More Londoners travelling by bus

MORE LONDONERS are taking the bus than at any time since 1959 - with more than 2.4 billion trips made in the capital in the past year.

The growing popularity of London's iconic red double-deckers comes after Mayor Boris Johnson introduced a fleet of newly revamped Routemasters.

The number of buses travelling along the capital's roads reached a 60-year high on April 29, when 7,961 buses were on the streets - the highest number since 1953, according to Transport for London.

Half of all the bus journeys made in England each year take place in London, and in total the capital's buses travelled 305 million miles in passenger service in 2013 to 2014.

The past 15 years has seen an explosion in the number of people riding the bus, which shot up by 69 per cent from 1999 until 2014, transport bosses revealed.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "Buses play a massively important role in keeping London moving, ferrying huge numbers of people around every far corner of the capital.

"Without the efficient movement of people that our network allows, London simply wouldn't function as smoothly it does.

“As we celebrate the 'Year of the Bus', we remain fully focused on maintaining our position as a world-leader in bus services, while ensuring that the network adapts and continues to support the growth of our great city."

By Kate Ferguson, Press Association