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The ex-LT RT on the previous page is used by
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Page 96
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Kodak as a sales promotional vehicle. The picture left shows ex-Westem National Bristol Lodekkas off to a new life in the USA (note the US safety regulation marker light). The bottom row of pictures shows, left to right, a Bristol Lodekka refurbished for Air Anglia, another Bristol awaiting shipment to the USA and an AEC ready for refurbishing.
Ltd to realise the export potential of traditional British doubledecker buses, more than 250 have found their way to the States.
In 1968 Robert was living in the USA and bought two RTtype London Transport doubledeckers and sold them as vehicles for advertising promotion campaigns.
Later, US height restrictions and the gradual drying up of supplies of good RTs, all of which were built between 1947 and 1954, made the Bristol Lodekka the favourite export money-spinner.
Classic appearance
The low-height body and the classic British appearance, together with the inherent reliability of the type with its Gardner or BVW engine, makes this the obvious choice.
British operators' preferences for o-m-o buses and the Bus Grant allowing the finance to buy them has meant that a constant supply of the buses, built between 1956 and 1967, is available.
Many of the vehicles still have a useful life ahead of them.
These buses are usually sold by tender from the National Bus Company and municipal undertakings in lots of about 25. Omnibus Promotions compete with bus dealers and scrap merchants for the lots.
Many vehicles in good condition are saved from the breaker's hammer and find their way on to European, American and British roads. Some become hospitality suites, others promotional vehicles and some remain passenger carrying vehicles. Buses in bad condition are put by as sources for spare parts.
Omnibus Promotions repaint and convert buses to customer's specifications at their workshops at what was a wartime airfield in Essex. Mr Thomas hopes soon to transfer this as ect of the business to extensive remises in London's hepherd's Bush area.
Omnibus Promotions also act ; agents for certain operators id arrange the sale of buses to ients all over the world. This Jsiness has taken Robert to all arts of the globe. Omnibus -emotions' business in London handled, when their director is vay, by Valerie Henderson in
office in an old building hich includes a studio that can used for the design of tenor layouts of the ises. Buses have en fitted out as clues and record studios. One is even a mobile bank with a strong room upstairs and an airconditioned British-style tearoom downstairs, British deckers tend to stand out whenever they find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings and anything that stands out sells.
British Promotions Inc, Omnibus Promotions' US company, has its own workshops where it can draw on a comprehensive selection of spares reclaimed in England from scrapped buses. Confidence in the buses is high enough for Omnibus Promotions to offer a sixmonth guarantee with each vehicle although Robert says that most buses are in such good condition that they need no mechanical attention for at least 200,000 miles. Not all customers want to Ou their buses, so to meet the needs Robert keeps a fleeti, buses available for hire. ThOE include an immaculate ex Lpf don Transport RT which ha since been fitted with a LeyIan engine reputed to have se originally in a military vehicl Safety lights requirem and other requirements h caused buses to appea guises that will upset the pu among bus enthusiasts. H ever, it must be preferable buses to be sold to see fu service rather than be broken scrap metal, especially if t help Britain's balance payments and help Britain abroad — Omnibus Promoti vehicles