The very simple reason why London buses are red

A red double-decker bus is one of the ultimate symbols of London.

Although they’re not just any shade of red.

London’s buses are Pantone 485 C red, the same colour used by the Royal Mail, London Underground, KitKat, McDonald’s and, of course, MyLondon.

You might think it’s all part of some elaborate plan or that there’s some great psychological reason that this specific shade of red was chosen.

But it turns there’s a very simple reason why London’s buses are red.

Way back at the start of the 20th century there were a number of different companies that owned buses which operated in London.

They were all in competition with each other and various colours were used to differentiate routes.

In 1907 one company, the powers that be at London General Omnibus Company had a genius idea.

They decided to paint the entire fleet red, making their buses stand out from their rivals, and place numbers on the front of the bus to tell people the route it would be taking.

In 1933 all of the buses were bought by London Transport and all were painted the same shade of red.

The same numbering system was also put in place.

It goes to show that a bit of healthy competition can create great icons.

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