Your Brand on My Vintage London Bus
London's Most Iconic Ad Space
I've hired a real 1960s Routemaster bus that will run a designated high-tourist route through London four times a day, each loop taking 75 minutes. Between runs, it parks up near Trafalgar Square. Sixteen sticker spots are up for auction. Highest bid when the clock stops gets printed in vinyl and wrapped on the bus.
£5,000 covers hire, printing and driver and 7 straight days of a 1960s Routemaster running a designated high-tourist route through London four times a day, each loop taking 75 minutes. Between runs, it parks up near Trafalgar Square. Every additional £1,000 raised keeps the bus out for one more day. Sixteen sticker spots are up for auction. Highest bid when the clock stops gets printed in vinyl and rides along for real.
The 16 Spots
This list is ranked by highest bid overall, every entry shows its current top bid, so you can see exactly what it'll take to win the placement you want.
Front destination blind surround
Above the cab. The bit everyone photographs. The Corner.
Nearside full-length side panel
Kerb side. Seen by every pedestrian on the pavement.
Offside full-length side panel
Road side. Traffic, cyclists, and every dashcam in Zone 1.
Rear panel
Below the back window. Hello, everyone stuck behind me.
Roof panel
For drone shots, rooftop bars and anyone on the top of a hill.
"This stop brought to you by…" audio credit
Recurring spoken sponsor credit on the route announcement.
Upper deck front window strip
The best seat on the bus looks straight past your logo.
Stairwell panel
Everyone holds on and reads this on the way up.
Driver's cab door panel
Right next to me. I will personally be seen with your logo.
Seat headrest cover set (pair)
Lower deck. Two printed headrest covers, front rows.
Seat headrest cover set (pair)
Upper deck. Two printed headrest covers, back rows.
Ceiling grab-rail ad strip 1
Lower deck rail. Eye level for everyone standing.
Ceiling grab-rail ad strip 2
Upper deck rail. Cheapest way onto the bus.
Window etch-sticker, lower deck
Frosted vinyl etch on the kerb-side window.
Window etch-sticker, upper deck
Frosted vinyl etch, upper saloon.
Bus stop flag / timetable card mention
Sponsor line on the printed timetable card carried on board.
How It Works
Pick your spot and size
Twenty spots across the bus, priced by size and visibility.
Win the bid
Top bid when the auction closes wins. I'll reach out to arrange final artwork and payment.
Your brand rides along
Printed in vinyl, applied to the real bus, out on its actual London route.
The Real Bus
The real bus
This is a genuinely restored 1960s Routemaster, the same classic red double-decker that's been part of London's streets for generations. Open-top upper deck, the original chrome front grille and round headlights, and that unmistakable silhouette everyone in London recognises on sight. It's fully roadworthy, licensed, and insured to run real routes through central London, not a static prop. Every ad spot goes on genuine vinyl, applied to a bus that tourists photograph without being asked to.
Where it goes
Starting from Trafalgar Square, the route runs past Piccadilly Circus, along to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, up past the London Eye and across to St Paul's Cathedral, then east along the Thames past The Shard, over Tower Bridge and round to the Tower of London, before looping back to Trafalgar Square to start again. Four laps a day, 75 minutes each, seven days straight. Additional days will be added is the goal is exceeded.
What the money funds
- This funds a driver for all 7 days at 11 hours a day, a professional photographer and videographer to capture the branded bus for marketing materials afterward, diesel, insurance and road tax, plus vinyl printing, professional application of your artwork, and removal once the project ends. Winning bidders can also ride the bus with as many guests as it can hold at any point while it's out on its route.
This isn't crowdfunding the purchase of the bus, just a temporary marketing opportunity for your brand.
Questions
Hi, I'm Jack.
I've spent the last 10 years in London working in tourism, building software, and doing marketing, and I've always had a soft spot for anything old. This is a marketing experiment built around one simple fact: a vintage bus gets looked at. So that's the ad space I'm selling. Bid for a spot, get printed, and have your brand seen.