A few years ago, I was going to Wal-Mart from the grocery shopping. I was quite surprised to find a London Double Decker bus parked in front. It was a marketing promotion for Rimmel but I was pretty stoked to see a London bus in Portage, Indiana. I took it as a sign that it was time to start planning another trip.
Fast forward a few years and those very same busses have ended up in Oklahoma City and have become part of the fleet of a Limo Serivce – aptly names London Limo.
There may be an absence of British accents, but patrons of London Limousine can still ride the top section of one of their authentic double-deckers, straight from England and complete with right-side steering. Don’t worry; it’s not much different to drive, said owner Ribaudo. Plus, at least two of their drivers are actually British.
Ribaudo is also owner of All-Star Limousines, a traditional party and luxury limousine company. He began his Anglophile affinity a couple of years ago while watching a special about London on theTravel Channel. He saw the traditional London black cabs and thought they would make perfect party limousines for those wanting something a little different. After many months of hassle and finagling, his English taxis arrived about six months ago. The two double-decker buses arrived not long after. He purchased the buses from Rimmel Cosmetics of London, who had brought them to the U.S. for a promotional tour.
Ribaudo originally used the buses as party buses, but eventually decided they were “too cool to get trashed out like that.” The new business model is a dinner tour: a three-and-a-half-hour leisurely drive around the major sites of Oklahoma City. Local musicians provide entertainment and Deep Deuce restaurant Sage provides the four-course meal.
The buses hold 14 people or seven couples all on the top level so everyone can see. Ribaudo said they tried installing tables on the top level, but that cut down on people who wanted to walk about the bus. Now, everyone is seated in the round and servers bring the meals on trays.
It may not be an old Routemaster – but this is still really freaking cool. They also have two authentic London Taxi’s and provide authentic British Beer.
Author Info - Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile with an obsession for Britain that borders on psychosis. He keeps Anglotopia running in his spare time, always dreaming of his next trip to England, wishing he lived there - specifically Dorset - and is always trying to figure out a way to move to England. It will happen one day. Keep up with him on Twitter here. Read more from this author
British Pound Exchange Rate
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dream of living in the UK a reality.
If you were excited by that Jonathan, you’d love my real London Routemaster! Look up RML2302 on Google. She is due to go for her annual safety inspection (“MOT” – standing for Ministry of Transport (Test) – a typical British anachronism as the Ministry of Transport doesn’t exist anymore) on Monday but is refusing to start…. Just to put a slight damper on the photograph – it IS a British bus made by Bristol but they never operated in London..