YOU wait ages for a number 38 bus and then 51 come along at once. But sadly for fans of London’s favourite double decker, yesterday’s Routemasters, pottering between Victoria Station and Hackney, were the last of their kind.

From today, the 38 will be a bendy bus: twice as long but with fewer seats and no back platform. The architects of progress say that the new buses are kinder to wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs.

The armies of nostalgics who lined the 38’s route retorted that they lack the charm and character that made the red Routemaster an international symbol of London. Now only one Routemaster service remains, on Transport for London’s equivalent of Death Row. The number 159 from Marble Arch to Streatham is scheduled to reach its final destination on December 9. Two daytime “heritage” routes for tourists, due to start next month, will be all that remain of more than 50 years of history.

Hundreds of devotees from around the world queued up for the last chance to ride on the Routemaster’s most popular and famous route, from Clapton Pond in Hackney to Victoria via Islington, Theatreland, Chinatown, Piccadilly and Hyde Park Corner.

Gaggles of amateur photographers and bus-spotters jostled for position along the route, anxious for a final glimpse of the so-called “magic bus”.

Special commemorative Routemasters in immaculate condition — some painted gold or silver in Jubilee years — were brought out of storage and put in service.

For some, the emotion of the moment proved impossible to contain and they had to be physically restrained by marshalls from entering the Hackney depot where the last of 60 No 38s were proudly lined up. Some enthusiasts said that they had bought old Routemasters for as little as £3,000, driving them on motorways at their top speed of 37mph and storing them in barns or caravan parks.

Conductors carrying 1950s ticket machines cheerfully admitted they were unable to scan computerised travel cards, but printed old-fashioned tickets for a donation to charity.

When the gold Routemaster — at the age of 47 one of the oldest — pulled up near Sadler’s Wells, there was a scramble to get on board.

The 38 was renowned for its eccentric conductors — “Duke Baysee” had a top 40 hit in 1995 and frequently entertained late-night passengers with his harmonica playing.

He said: “Me and my brother used to hop on and off the Routemasters as kids. You can’t do that without a platform. People aren’t happy that they’re going and the police have complained that there won’t be any conductors. The Routemaster is the best bus in the world. If you’ve got one special thing that people love, why get rid of it and copy everyone else? Some people get on for two stops just to say they’ve been on one. You wouldn’t knock down Buckingham Palace and build a new one.”

Of the 140 remaining conductors, 120 are taking redundancy and 20 are retraining as drivers or taking other bus company jobs.

LONG JOURNEY ROUND LONDON

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