Could Famous Roundel ever Womble Free?

What more is there to say regarding the New Bus for London, the second generation Routemaster unveiled yesterday as a wood ’n resin mock-up at the LT museum’s Acton premises?

In addition to the posts on the subject here (especially), here and here, the most obvious thing to mention is that a mock up such as this brings the project a whole lot closer to reality. But don’t expect a working prototype anytime soon. Please start forming an orderly queue…

The other thing is that in the history of bus manufacturing, such media interest in a pre-production example is unprecedented. It’s also very healthy, as it puts the (regulated) bus industry even more on the map. People are taking it seriously.

Whatever you views on this project—valuable or vanity—you’ll certainly notice that the bus looks very, well, red. Stark, in fact. London buses always are but on this one, there’s no logo of any description, yet. Wouldn’t it be nice to see the return of the LT roundel, amidships, beneath the lower deck windows?

Yes it would. Nothing else is necessary. If the people who walk the corridors of power at 55 Broadway are reading this, may I make a simple suggestion: bring back the roundel on bus sides.

Guys, you use it elsewhere (stops, interchanges & on publicity). You use the roundel on other modes. Why not on the bus?

There can be no more recognisable a logo as a symbol of corporate identity in the transport world than the LT roundel. It started life in 1908 on the underground, in a rather ornate form. It’s evolved into the familiar bar-and-circle but, essentially, hasn’t departed much from the original. It’s certainly enduring and has become the familiar symbol of the capital’s transport ever since, though by no means always on the buses. Indeed, the roundel as we know it first appeared on buses in the 1960s, preceded by its use on trolleybuses in the 1930s. By the 1970s, the plain white roundel had become the only marker on London’s bus fleet. What more was there to say or add?

Today in England, we have Arriva’s concentric circles, First’s “F” and Stagecoach’s beach ball. They vie for attention. Each logo says something about the organisation it represents. It helps recognition. More than that, it’s part of what they are, what they represent, what they try to portray, the essence of the brands each protects and grows. Effective logos today are somewhat abstract but they also say something about the organisations in promoting them and this is true of all the above named. Yet, none delineates transport as does the roundel. The only thing that comes close is the British Rail symbol, never now seen on trains but nonetheless familiar. Those of us with fond memories of the National “Double N” must concede defeat at the hands of the roundel.

As London’s transport has evolved, so has the roundel’s use. This was particularly important as London’s buses were first privatised and subject to tender. London Transport Buses of the time needed a sense of unity that would knit the various colours and contractors together. The white roundel on red square was the choice (with the words London Transport Service to its right).

With the advent of TfL and its responsibility for all public modes of transport came a so-called family of roundels that identified each constituent part separately yet firmly establishing the continuity of London’s transport (e.g. DLR, left). The TfL roundel at stops and interchanges became red with the word “BUSES” across the bar.

This has never appeared on the vehicles themselves. But here is the plea. TfL has allowed the proliferation of a dozen meaningless operator logos on its bus sides. In London, these are superfluous, add no value and are probably not even recognised by the passengers who use them (yes, it’s very different in the provinces). Yet TfL neglects its own. Given that the roundel, in its various guises, now appears on the Underground, Overground and Wombles Freely just about everywhere, it’s logical to see this simple yet affective logo appear on TfL’s buses as they cross Wimbledon Common and beyond. It would make a nice addition to NB4L/NBfL, too.

Over to you TfL...

The roundel already appears on the red London dial-a-ride fleet