ONE’S BUS IS HERE
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall about to take a new electric double-decker bus from Clarence House in London to the London Transport Museum. They were taking part in celebrations to mark 20 years of Transport for London.
THE PRINCE of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall swapped their usual luxury car transport for an environmentally-friendly bus ride to London’s Transport Museum.
Charles and Camilla boarded the electric double-decker outside their home at Clarence House at a specially installed temporary bus stop.
The royal couple, who are helping to mark 20 years of
Transport for London, took their seats at the front of the top deck, taking in views of a rainy London.
Charles’ usual official travel in London is in his electric Jaguar car. However, the couple seemed to enjoy the change and the chance to see central London from a different viewpoint.
He and Camilla were joined by TfL Commissioner Mike Brown and local schoolchildren who are part of a scheme run by the transport operator promoting safe, active and sustainable travel.
The couple chatted to TfL staff on the bottom deck before meeting the pupils from Phoenix Primary School in Bermondsey.
The red bus, accompanied by a police escort, took the group on the 10-minute journey down Pall Mall and past Trafalgar Square yesterday afternoon.
The couple were greeted by excited onlookers who were waiting as they alighted the bus at the museum.
The visit involved a tour of the museum with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, to meet TfL apprentices and staff who have pioneered environmental and mental health schemes in the workplace, as well as crisis response staff.
Charles unveiled a plaque to commemorate their visit and praised the “pure genius” of how the capital’s transport operation works.
He said: ‘It is remarkable how you do it, how you manage to make such an immense operation work so well.”
The issue of the coronavirus was briefly addressed by the Duchess when she was shown a one-person bomb shelter in the museum and hopped inside to joke: “I’m self-isolating.”