It was first displayed to the public at the Earl's Court Commercial Motor
Exhibition on September 24, 1954. After extensive testing of prototype
models the first vehicle entered service in 1956, and large-scale production
began in 1959.
Some 2,760 models were built before construction ended in 1968 and continued
to serve the city until the 1980s, when they began to be sold off for use
elsewhere due to reductions in service.
Google's doodle, which comes during London's "year of the bus",
follows its tribute
to the London Underground on its 150th anniversary in January 2013.
It features an animated cartoon image of the distinctive double decker red bus, which bounces gently up and down as if driving through the capital.
But the most distinctive feature of the bus – its rear platform – is not visible because the vehicle is travelling from left to right, and the platform is always positioned over the rear left wheel.
The word "Google" is emblazoned on the side panels of the bus between the lower and upper decks in the space traditionally occupied by advertisements.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/google-doodle/11116554/Routemaster-Bus-marked-with-Google-Doodle.html
