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Operation of the iconic London Routemaster on regular London routes "finished" on 9th December 2005 when they ran for the last time on service 159. But recognition of their role as a tourist attraction led to the introduction in 2006 of two heritage routes operated by Routemasters. Both were shortened versions of regular routes with the same numbers that operate through those corridors. Service 9 was operated by First London (Centrewest) between Albert Hall and Aldwych, later changed to run between Kensington and Trafalgar Square. It was taken over by Tower Transit in the summer of 2013 but was withdrawn on 25th July 2014 when New Routemasters took over operation of all journeys on service 9. Service 15 was operated by Stagecoach's East London Buses subsidiary between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill. Although designated as a heritage service it operated like an ordinary bus route, seven days a week, taking cash fares and all tickets and passes - just like any ordinary bus service. The Routemasters used were owned by TfL and leased to Stagecoach. They were some of the RMs that were refurbished by Marshall and fitted with Cummins engines in the 1990s. Occasionally Stagecoach would use heritage Routemasters of their own alongside the TfL ones. Latterly it was officially known as 15H but continued to display 15 on the blinds. The service was withdrawn in 2020, with TfL citing a drop in tourist numbers due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason - but it had already been reduced to weekends only and it was known that TfL were considering its future. First RM1204 on the 9 at Charing Cross in July 2007
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