B/W print; A fleet of new Routemasters at Poplar garage, by Colin Tait, 1959

In the years following the Second World War, the electric trolleybuses in London were gradually replaced. Although the trolleybuses were cleaner to run, diesel buses were cheaper. In the late 1950s, London Transport was loosing money due to decreasing passenger numbers. Many of the trolleybuses were replaced by the new Routemaster buses. This photograph, taken in October 1959, shows a fleet of shiny new Routemasters ready to go into operation. Although they have achieved the status of a London icon, these diesel buses were not good for the environment. As well as releasing sulphur into the atmosphere, diesel exhaust includes sooty fine particles. By the end of the 20th century, London's bus companies were introducing cleaner-running buses, including ones fuelled by hydrogen.