With production of the Routemaster coming to an end, London Transport (LT) was required to buy off-the-shelf vehicles, rather than develop its own designs. In order to compare two similar models by competing makers, LT purchased 50 Leyland Atlanteans, the XA class (red) and eight Daimler Fleetlines, the XF class (green).

They differed mechanically but were almost identical inside and out, and were the first double-deckers in London designed for one-person operation.  However, initially they worked with a conductor or, with the top deck blocked-off, whilst operating with driver only.

To enable LT to evaluate the two types side-by-side, some of the green XFs were put into service alongside the red XAs in central London and some red XAs ran in the Country area.

When the Central red buses split from the Country area in 1970, LT settled on the Daimler Fleetline, whilst the newly-formed London Country Bus Services preferred the Leyland Atlantean.

With such a small fleet, XF3 and most of the other Fleetlines were sent to East Grinstead garage [EG] in West Sussex, operating on several routes, including the 409 on its long run to Croydon.

XF3 was subsequently repainted into the National Bus Company’s rather drab leaf-green livery but has now been restored to its original dark-green livery that you see it in today.