Piccadilly Line strike: Vintage replacement bus sparks joy among commuters

'Everyone had a smile on their face'

The bus was first used in the 1930s (Imgur/Ramblerandgambler)

Commuters affected by the Tube strike enjoyed a ride to work with a difference as special vehicles were laid on.

Travellers affected by industrial action on London Underground's Piccadilly Line received an arguably pleasant surprise as AEC Regent III RT buses turned up as a replacement service.

Photos, taken by Reddit user Ramblerandgambler, show the 1950s vehicles on their route from Wood Green to Trafalgar Square.

Commuters said they were allowed to board the lime-green buses without paying or showing their Oyster cards.

One man said: "Everyone had a smile on their face."

Another passenger said the buses “definitely add a bit of novelty to an otherwise irksome situation.”

Those who got on normal buses were left disappointed.

“I got on a normal, boring 29 this morning and as I walked on the upper deck I saw one of these in the distance coming towards my bus stop," one person said.

“Feel like I ruined the day for myself before it even got started.”

The bus entered service in 1938, although the design had to be adapted following the outbreak of war with Nazi Germany.

London Transport used over 4,000 of the buses between 1947 and 1954.

They began to be phased out in the 1960s and replaced with Routemaster buses.

The last model in service, Route 62 from Barking Garage, stopped running on 7 April 1979.