Ghost Bus Tour

As the dark settles over the city, a bus company begins its mysterious tour!

The Necropolis Bus Company began in the 19th Century as a private bus service. The Necropolis vehicles- or ‘Carcass Coaches’ as they were known to Londonders- were able to convey the deceased, pall bearers and up to 52 mourners (no standing) to their final resting place. Each bus had an onboard conductor/ chief mourner and a special siren or ‘mourning whistle’ to warn pedestrians of the buses approach. The sound of the whistle prompted gentlemen to remove their hats and bow their heads as a mark of respect.

Regular service ran until 1967 when a tragic fire at the company depot in South Dulstead razed the building to the ground and destroyed almost the entire fleet of buses. Only one vehicle was salvaged from the flames and was locked in a storage facility for 40 years. It has now been restored to its original design and is operated by Necrobus as a sightseeing service in central London

Bus to Bus…

The bus is painted in the company’s traditional colour of midnight black. The interior seating is arranged in ‘railway style’ for comfort and so the passengers can grieve openly and offer condolences to one another. Decorative features include lamps and window curtains which were always drawn if a coffin was stored in the vehicle overnight. This is based on the superstition that a departed spirit might be trapped by its own reflection in the glass and would be unable to pass into the other world. It also helped to keep the bodies cool in the summer months.

Departure times at from Northumberland Avenue, Trafalgar Square 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM

Arrive 15 minutes before departure

Please note:

All customers must have a valid ticket to board a tour.
The ticket is valid for use only for the time and date stated on the ticket.
Customers must arrive 15 minutes before the start of the tour as the bus cannot wait for latecomers.
Tickets / order numbers are non-transferable.
Children aged 15 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Children under 5 attend free, at parents’ risk.
Only one child under 5 years old per adult may travel for free provided they do not occupy a seat to the exclusion of a fare paying passenger.
There are no toilets onboard the bus.
Some tours may include a short stop, where you are allowed the opportunity to disembark if you so choose. Leaving the bus at this point in the tour is not mandatory and is taken at your own risk. The Bus company takes no responsibility for any injury or incident that occurs outside of our vehicles.
The bus company take no responsibility for items left on the bus. Personal items are carried at the owners risk and The Ghost Bus can take no responsibility for items damaged or lost.
Smoking, eating, and drinks other than bottled water are not permitted on the bus.
Our buses are classic 1960s Routemasters which are unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.
Please be aware that we operate on historic vehicles and as such whilst we try our upmost to maintain the buses to the highest standards on occasion the buses may encounter mechanical problems. In the event of a breakdown we will attempt to fix the problem or deploy a secondary vehicle within 90 minutes of the problem occurring. Only after 90 minutes has passed will refunds be guaranteed.
A family ticket includes 2 adult tickets + 2 child tickets.

Note: This is not the London Muslim night sightseeing bus tour which is a different one and is bookable by private hire of the full bus experience itself. Please email us [email protected] if you wish to book this with family and friends, Work, Mosque, community group, charity, school etc.