Milnes-Daimler Double-decker Omnibus

This is the oldest surviving motorized bus in the world. It dates from 1904 and was specially built for public transport in London.

This is the oldest surviving motorized bus in the world. It dates from 1904 and was specially built for public transport in London. In that year there were still fewer than twenty motorized double deckers in London; two years later there were more than four hundred, almost half of which were made by Milnes-Daimler. The bus carries the colors of one of Londons best known bus companies of that time, Thomas Tilling Ltd. The bus was originally delivered to the Tunbridge Wells, Southborough & District Bus Company, but this was a financially weak company that had to sell the bus after only a few months. In 1907 the bus was converted to chain drive. The original drive, directly to the rear wheels by means of a gear system, was indeed better suited to carrying heavy loads, but it was also very noisy. Milnes-Daimler came into being in 1902 when the German Daimler took over a group that also included the English tram and truck manufacturer Milnes.