A decision was made on Wednesday to take out of traffic all 150-odd Citaro Gs currently in service so that investigations could be made, with the result that the 18, 436, 453 and Red Arrow routes 507 and 521 have been stripped of buses. To make doubly certain it's not the rigid versions as well, the buses from routes 293 and RV1 have also been taken off.

All sorts of spare buses from the affected companies' withdrawn stock have been rushed to fill in. Tridents have returned to the 18 with help from Metroline. Red Arrow route 507 is largely operated by NVs from the London General private hire fleet, with LDP-class Dart SLFs from withdrawn stock filling in on the 521. The 53 is fielding many extra Tridents drawn from spares around Stagecoach Selkent and Stagecoach East London garages. Six new Tridents in Stagecoach white and blues livery have been diverted from East Midland and will be put into service imminently on the 453.

TOP: It was as if the double-deck buses shunted off the 18 only four months ago had never gone, but today they were joined by six Volvo B7TLs from Metroline. Here at Euston is VPL 187 (Y187 NLK), normally one of the 52's fleet, and wearing a slipboard.

BOTTOM: The silver lining to this dark cloud, of course, has been the appearance of three Routemasters on Red Arrow route 507! I duly got down to Victoria for the morning peak and bagged RML 2725 (SMK 725F), beautifully repainted into 1960s London Transport fleet livery. In the evening I came back and got RM 9, veteran of the last day of the 11.

Despite the move of Willesden buses to aid the 18, the last day of that garage's Routemasters on the 6 and 98 is still scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 26th March. A full day's programme of events is planned, with all of RT 3871, RMC 1513, M 1 and RML 2456 to appear as specials alongside the surviving RMLs. Timings of the special buses and the last official 6 and 98 journeys are reproduced here. A full report will appear on these pages.