Written for Royal Central by Jess Ilse
Two Platinum Jubilee buses have been commissioned to mark The Queen’s historic reign and will go into service in West Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey.
These buses are painted in the purple, platinum and white colour scheme of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations and use the Platinum Jubilee emblem. The first bus will be seen transporting passengers along the 700 route from Brighton to Worthing and Littlehampton.
“The whole nation and our Commonwealth countries are gearing up for a big celebration in June, and we felt that it was important for us to honour this historic milestone within the communities we serve,” said Stagecoach South’s managing director, Edward Hodgson, in a statement.
“We are, therefore, proud to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with this special bus that will be used throughout the year on our local bus networks.”
According to reports, the second will drive from the Andover depot in Hampshire, and later in the year, the buses will transport passengers in Chichester, Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Winchester and Guildford.
The Platinum Jubilee buses were launched the week of The Queen’s accession anniversary, 6 February.
“This is such an historic moment, as it is the first time that any British monarch has attained 70 years on the throne,” said Emma Munn, the Worthing-based assistant operations manger. “We hope that our customers and residents across the area will enjoy travelling on, and seeing, the jubilee bus on the streets throughout the year.”
Edward Roberts, the 19-year-old design student behind the Platinum Jubilee emblem, chose the purple—based on The Queen’s Robe of Estate and Coronation Gown—to symbolise royalty; the Crown of St. Edward’s; and the number 70 to symbolise The Queen’s reign. The font is based on the font style from The Queen’s Order of Service at her coronation in 1953.
The Platinum Jubilee emblem will be used extensively throughout the rest of the year to mark The Queen’s historic reign.
