London Buses: Ticket To Ride

From the collection of

London’s Screen Archives

London’s Screen Archives is a network of over 50 organisations with a collective vision – to preserve and share London’s history on film. The network is managed by Film London and we work with our partners to digitise, preserve, and offer access to their moving image collections.

London Buses: Ticket To Ride

"The future comes to Harrow" with the first trials of what would become the Oyster Card.

Complete with groovy graphics of old-fashioned paper tickets whizzing into the past, this 1993 video introduces a revolutionary new way of getting around the capital. Hoping to improve the efficiency of the bus service, simplify the life of the drivers and ease congestion, London Transport trialled a new ticketing system that meant a giant leap forward in fare collection – the smart photocard. The trial took place in the London borough of Harrow, with local passengers recruited to take part. The new scheme would replace the existing photocard and not only simplify ticket checking for the drivers, but also reduce fare dodging and fraud. Feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with drivers and passengers interviewed for the video agreeing that the new system is quick and simple. This "ticket of the future" is an early version of what Londoners today call the Oyster Card – see it in action as the bus driver demonstrates its functionality and ease-of-use.

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From the collection

Keeping London Moving

Go behind the scenes of 50 years of London transport with this selection from the London Transport Museum's video collection.

London's transport, from the bright red Routemaster to the futuristic Docklands Light Railway, is some of the most iconic in the world. But what was actually happening behind the scenes to make sure the buses, tubes, and trains got us to where we wanted to go? This collection of highlights from the London Transport Museum's video collection, which spans the 1970s to the mid-2000s, offers a peek into the operation rooms, underground tunnels, and bus garages that were 'Keeping London Moving', as the slogan of Transport for London proudly proclaims. In this selection, you can witness the birth of the Jubilee Line, or experience the frenzy of Millennium Eve on the Underground. Many of the videos in this collection were made by the London Buses' in-house video department, and show that staff training videos definitely don’t have to be dull. How better to train London Underground staff on good customer service than a version of the Wizard of Oz set on the Tube?

33 videos in this collection

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Step Free Access On London Underground

  • 2001
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Modernising the Underground

  • 1998
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The Driverless Ghost Bus

  • Westminster
  • 1986
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London Underground Train Door Safety

  • 1995
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Implementing London's Congestion Charge

  • 2003
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London Transport: Routes Project

  • 1994
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London Buses: Low Floor Bus

  • 1995
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Chancery Lane Train Crash

  • Camden
  • 2003
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It’ll Never Happen

  • 1996
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New Years Eve 2000 on London Underground

  • Westminster
  • 2000
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London Buses: Clocking On with OPAL

  • 1984
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Royal Visit to Willesden Garage

  • Brent
  • 2002
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Starting on the Right Track

  • 1986
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Station Assistance Support on the London Underground

  • Westminster
  • 2002
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Making Tracks Without Footprints

  • 2000
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Simply the Best

  • Brent
  • 1994
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Saints and Sinners

  • 1999
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Putting You in the Picture

  • 1985
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Ticket Gates at Victoria Station

  • Westminster
  • 1990
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Jubilee Line: Destination East

  • 1990
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London Buses: Ticket To Ride

  • 1993
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42 Hours: Moving Customers Over the Millennium

  • 2000
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Crossrail: It’s About Time

  • 1993
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What's Your Handicap?

  • 1985
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Interview with Tom Eckersley

  • 1984
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District Line: Fit for the Future

  • 1980
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Farewell to Denis Tunnicliffe

  • Westminster
  • 2000
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Docklands Light Railway

  • 1992
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London Buses: Farecard Trial

  • Harrow
  • 1995
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Safely There and Back

  • 1999
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The Check Files

  • 1999
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Audrey White Retirement Party

  • 1984
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Above Us London: Northern Line Centenary

  • 1990
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