See London's Christmas Lights From One Of These Special Festive Buses

Laura Reynolds
By Laura Reynolds Last edited 27 months ago

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See London's Christmas Lights From One Of These Special Festive Buses

Someone at TfL has taken our suggestion to see the Christmas lights by bus very seriously — it's just been announced that a fleet of special Christmas buses is coming to London's streets.

Selected buses running on a central London bus route have been given a festive makeover, with images of Santa and his reindeer taking flight down the sides of the vehicles.

The 139 route — which we picked for our festive foray — will have the special buses running along it, passing the Christmas lights on Oxford Street and Regent Street.

Although it's only vehicles on the 139 that are getting a makeover, other bus routes have been commended for their links to festive activities in the capital:

  • 22 — festive highlights include the King's Road Christmas lights in Chelsea and Harvey Nichols' window displays. It has stops close to Harrods, and Hyde Park Corner which is handy for Winter Wonderland.
  • 453 — which heads down Regent Street, passing Trafalgar Square.
  • 390 — which travels the length of Oxford Street from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch below the Christmas lights, skirting Winter Wonderland territory and rolling on down towards Victoria.
  • 94 — passes Marble Arch for Winter Wonderland, before heading down Oxford Street and Regent Street.

Alas, boarding one of these festive liveried buses is luck of the draw, as only certain vehicles (the exact number hasn't been revealed) have had festive magic sprinkled on them.

Over in east London, the cable cars have had a festive makeover too. The terminal building has been decorated for Christmas, and you can book a special priority boarding ticket to ride in your own private, festively-festooned car. You'll get a goody bag to take home with you, and money raised goes to the Railway Children charity.

It's all part of the Mayor of London's Let's Do London campaign, which encourages people to get out and about and support London hospitality and retail businesses which were affected by lockdowns.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:

London is the best place in the world to celebrate the festive season and taking a ride on a London bus this winter is one of the best-value and most enjoyable ways to take in the magic of our city’s world-famous Christmas lights.  

TfL has given us one more festive treat, in the form of 12 Christmas-themed roundels at stations and stops across the network. Look out for the slogans 'Jolly Good Time' (Covent Garden station, Battersea Power Station Pier and Bond Street station), 'Christmas Shopping' (Oxford Circus station, London Bridge bus station and Greenwich Pier), 'Fabulous Panto' (Hackney Central Overground, Stratford and Wimbledon stations) and 'Winter Walks' (Chingford Overground, Hyde Park Corner station and Wandle Park tram stop). Not particularly creative, but we do love an alternative tube roundel.

Last Updated 06 December 2021

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