Vintage buses, some dating back to 1937, will run along the 37 route into Peckham alongside normal Transport for London (TfL) buses next month.
Bus users can take free trips down memory lane on Routemasters, RTs and RTLs, with volunteer conductors handing out mock-up tickets.
The event, organised by The London Bus Museum (LBS), Weybridge, which holds the world’s largest collection of buses, will be on Saturday, October 1.
Deryck Fill, Marketing Trustee and Events Manager at (LBS) said: “People like seeing them on the roads. It’s rather evocative to see a bus from 70 years ago trundling along.”
The 110-year-old 37 route, runs through Herne Hill, Dulwich, Goose Green and Peckham. It’s been chosen based on its historical value and to minimise costs incurred from going through the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
Among the buses featured will be the RT. Operational from 1939 to 1954, they were developed before WW2 and formed the largest standardised bus fleet in the world.
Deryck Fill said: “It’s a trip down memory lane. People who come with their grandchildren can tell them about where the bus conductor would stand, where the bells were and say ‘I went to school on this bus’.”
Some buses will be ‘flypasts’ so won’t stop at bus stops. But many will stop for passengers who might be surprised when told to put their oyster card away.
“They’ll get on and they’ll be told they can go to Peckham for free and they’ll go ‘what?’ Because nowadays you never get anything for free,” said Deryck.
The bus conductors – volunteers from the LBS – will answer questions about the bus and provide historical authenticity.
But they also serve a practical purpose. All open platform buses require a conductor to prevent people from jumping off in between stops.
The buses are expected to leave Putney Heath every fifteen minutes from 10am to 5pm.