Potters Bar Bus Garage Open Day

On Saturday 5 July 2014, Potters Bar Bus Garage in Hertfordshire will open its doors to members of the public in the next of a series of bus garage open days across the capital and surrounding areas in celebration of the Year of the Bus.

Visitors to Potters Bar Bus Garage, which is operated by Metroline, will get the chance to:

• Take a free trip on vintage and other interesting buses from the bus garage to local places of interest including Hatfield, London Colney, Cuffley and New Barnet. There will be departures every 15 minutes from 10:30 to 16:00;
• View up to 20 heritage vehicles;
• View the Year of the Bus mobile exhibition which tells the story of the London Bus and looks to its future;
• Take part in family activities about how to use the transport system safely and responsibly with the Transport for London (TfL) Safety and Citizenship team and pick up your free bus-themed family activity pack;
• Get up close and personal with objects from the London Transport Museum collection and find out more about the stories behind them with the On the Bus handling collection;
• Browse the London Transport Museum pop-up shop selling exclusive Year of the Bus gifts, and stalls selling bus-related merchandise and memorabilia.

The bus garage open days are part of TfL’s celebrations to mark the Year of the Bus, in partnership with London Transport Museum and the capital’s bus operators. All proceeds generated from the Potters Bar Bus Garage Open Day will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.

Potters Bar Bus Garage was opened in May 1930 by the London General Omnibus Company and became part of London Transport in 1933. It was used as a storage facility for buses during the Second World War and is the most northerly garage operating red London buses.

The first bus garage open day was held at Catford on 10 May and attracted around 3,000 visitors. Alperton and Stockwell were the second and third bus garages to offer behind-the-scenes access earlier this month, with Fulwell being the latest opening its doors last Saturday (28 June).

Events and activities are being held throughout 2014 to celebrate the role that London buses, bus drivers and the staff who support them play in keeping the capital moving, and mark a number of important anniversaries. These include 60 years since the creation of the original and iconic Routemaster, 75 years since the launch of its predecessor the RT-type bus, and 100 years since hundreds of London buses were sent to the Western Front to play a crucial role during the First World War.

Buses are a vital daily service for millions and one that is very local, with the vast majority of Londoners (95 per cent) never more than 400 metres from a bus stop. Buses link homes to jobs, schools and hospitals in every part of the capital. They are the backbone, and often the forgotten workhorses, of London’s transport network.