London’s Number 11 bus is the unofficial sightseeing bus. Its normal route goes past the:
- Bank of England
- St Mary L Bow
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Fleet Street
- Royal Courts of Justice
- The Aldwych
- Somerset House
- The Strand (where you will find the Twinnings Tea shop)
- Charing Cross
- Trafalgar Square
- Whitehall (for Downing Street)
- Westminster, Houses of Parliament
- Big Ben
- Westminster Abbey and Cathedral Victoria Station
- Sloane Square
- King’s Road
- …and the route ends at Fuham Broadway.
In 2002, 40 police officers arrested 19 anti-monarchist protestors in a pub for allegedly breaching the peace. Police cars were not big enough to transport the arrested crowd, so police officers hailed the Number 11 bus, bundled them in, and drove around London for 2.5 hours, dropping the protestors off at police stations around London.
Scotland Yard praised the officers for using their initiative, but the protestors, who were never charged, took the Met to court and received an £80,000 settlement and an apology!
Notoriety for London’s Number 11 bus, but a very expensive bus ride!
