| LGOC B-type | |
|---|---|
B340, owned by the London Transport Museum; London to Brighton Run, 2006 |
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| Manufacturer | London General Omnibus Company |
| Built at | Walthamstow, London |
| Specifications | |
| Floor type | Step entrance |
| Doors | 1 door |
| Options | Various customer options |
The LGOC B-type is a model of double-decker bus that was introduced in London on 1910. It was both built and operated by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC).
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B-type buses were built in Walthamstow and replaced the X-type bus. B-type buses were an improvement on the X-type. The B-type had a 34 seat capacity and is often considered to be the first mass produced bus. The first bus began carrying passengers in 1911[1]. By 1913 around 2500 had entered service.
The B-type was designed by Frank Searle, who was chief engineer of the LGOC. It had a wooden frame, steel wheels, a worm drive and chain gearbox. Its top speed was 16 miles an hour, which was above the legal speed limit at that time of 12 miles an hour however some B-types could reach 30–35 miles an hour under the right conditions.[2]
B-types carried 16 passengers inside and had seats for 18 on the uncovered top deck. These outside seats were fitted with wet-weather canvas covers. Electric lighting was introduced from 1912, and headlights in 1913. Before this, it was thought that interior lighting would render the bus sufficiently visible at night.[2]
A total of 900 of the buses were used to move troops behind the lines during World War I[1]. After initially serving without any modifications they were painted khaki, had their windows removed, and were fitted with 2 inch thick planks to provide some limited protection.[1] Some had anti-aircraft guns attached to them, others were made into pigeon lofts to house the pigeons used for communication along the front.[2] They served until the end of the war when they were used to bring troops home[1]. The Imperial War Museum preserves one of these buses, B43, known as Ole Bill after the contemporary cartoon character.[3]
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