The Ghost Bus Tours’ classic Routemaster has been redesigned to give passengers London’s first ever ‘Fright Bus’ Service. On-board actors and technical trickery combine to create the scariest tour in town! A creepy conductor will provide the commentary for this sinister sightseeing show, revealing haunted places, unmarked burial grounds and many skeletons in the capital’s cupboard.”
The tour takes you from Northumberland Avenue, Trafalgar Square and Parliament to the Tower of London and the Old Bailey through the City of Westminster, the heart of Theatreland and across Tower Bridge.
“Brilliant”- Le Cool Magazine
“Really good fun for all!”- Emma B, Heart FM
“A full on theatrical production with sinister characters... so much more than another tourist trap”-The Londonist
Behind the scenes...
The Necropolis Bus Company began in the 19th Century as a private bus service. The Necropolis vehicles- or ‘Carcass Coaches’ as they were known to Londonders- were able to convey the deceased, pall bearers and up to 52 mourners (no standing) to their final resting place. Each bus had an onboard conductor/ chief mourner and a special siren or ‘mourning whistle’ to warn warn pedestrians of the buses approach. The sound of the whistle prompted gentlemen to remove their hats and bow their heads as a mark of respect.
Ashes to Ashes...
Regular service ran until 1967 when a tragic fire at the company depot in South Dulstead razed the building to the ground and destroyed almost the entire fleet of buses. Only one vehicle was salvaged from the flames and was locked in a storage facility for 40 years. It has now been restored to its original design and is operated by Necrobus as a sightseeing service in central London
Bus to Bus...
The bus is painted in the company’s traditional colour of midnight black. The interior seating is arranged in ‘railway style’ for comfort and so the passengers can grieve openly and offer condolences to one another. Decorative features include lamps and window curtains which were always drawn if a coffin was stored in the vehicle overnight. This is based on the superstition that a departed spirit might be trapped by its own reflection in the glass and would be unable to pass into the other world. It also helped to keep the bodies cool in the summer months.