Routemaster bus: Google Doodle marks 60th anniversary of first Routemaster's unveiling

Google has celebrated the 60th anniversary of the unveiling of the first Routemaster bus with a Doodle on its front page.

The Routemaster was designed in the 1950s to replace London’s trolleybus network.

The bus featured the iconic rear platform, which allowed passengers to step inside the vehicle from an open door at the back.

To design the bus, London Transport used manufacturing techniques its staff had learned when helping build Halifax bombers during World War II, according to Transport for London.

Its aluminium design meant the vehicle was much lighter than previous London buses, but still had more seats.

It was also wider that its contemporaries, giving more the conductor and passengers more room.

Production ended in 1968, and from the early 1980s many Routemasters were sold in the UK and worldwide - seeings its owner’s association began a preservation movement.

By 2005, they were withdrawn from normal service, but are still used private hire for weddings and sightseeing.

In 2011, Heatherwick Studio’s, headed by London 2012 Olympics torch designer Thomas Heatherwick, unveiled a newly designed hybrid Routemaster, which now operate in London.