Go-Ahead London has helped to mark 2023’s 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush by entering a specially-liveried bus into the Notting Hill Carnival, where it formed the centrepiece of a Transport for London (TfL) float.
The BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery-electric double-decker has received a commemorative wrap designed by artist Baraka Carberry to mark the culture and contributions of the Windrush generation.
In the carnival procession the bus carried a mix of elders – some of whom previously worked on the capital’s transport network – and current TfL staff. Commissioner Andy Lord joined the float on Sunday 27 August.
The bus’s livery combines the Notting Hill Carnival with the 75-year history of the Windrush generation, TfL says. It has three characters – an elder and two younger descendants – and “captures the generations of people who have shaped the stories of Windrush and the carnival,” the transport body adds.
Clothing for the characters on the wrap is made up from a collage of photographs supplied by the London Transport Museum (LTM). They include people, places and symbols that have shaped the legacy of Windrush, along with memories from previous carnivals. The bus will remain in service in its current guise throughout Black History Month in October.
Mr Lord notes that London’s transport network “would not be the success it is today without the incredible contributions of the Windrush generation.”
Go-Ahead London Managing Director David Cutts has described Ms Carberry’s artwork as “stunning,” noting that the operator is proud to enter the bus into the carnival procession.
“Our public transport system has a long and proud history of dedicated service from people who have travelled from around the globe to make the capital their home, and we are delighted to celebrate their ongoing contribution to London life,” adds Mr Cutts.
TfL is hosting various events in 2023 to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush. That includes an exhibition at the LTM, and a selection of Windrush-themed compilations that formed part of its Poems on the Underground programme this summer.
