The Road Builder AKA The Night Digger (1971, Patricia Neal)

Stuart Turner notes "Some location shots around Windsor. The star arrives on a Thames Valley Bristol SUS4A/Eastern Coachworks. Another shot of Windsor town centre shows a head on view of what would appear to be a Bedford VAL/Duple Vega Major (Bicknells livery?), plus the back of a Plaxton Elite body in the distance." I believe the SUS4A is 668COD, fleet number 196, which had previously been Western National 612. It was based at Maidenhead when the film was made.

Road Trip (2000, dir Todd Phillips)

One character travels on American Coach 48 headed for Boston, an MCI 102C3. Meantime there's much footage of a cross country trip on a commandeered Chevrolet G-30 school bus (thanks to Daniel Dey)

The Roaring Twenties (1939, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart)

Footage of numerous open staircase double deckers, location unknown, as Cagney drives a taxi.

Robbery (1967, Stanley Baker)

Bob Wingrove notes a Metropolitan Police Bedford VAS with Duple Midland body, also assorted RT family and Routemasters, plus a Bedford VAL/Plaxton:

Robinson in Space (1997, dir Patrick Keiller Baker)

Odd documentary-cum-travelogue that will either enthrall you (as it did me) or bore you rigid. As the eponymous but unseen hero journeys around England we glimpse MCW Metrobuses, a Yorkshire Rider Mk I and a Travel West Midlands Mk II, and Blackpool trams. The most interesting footage for the bus fan, however, is in Reading, where first a Reading Buses Metrobus then a First Beeline Scania L113CLL/Northern Counties pass the camera, and the front of a second Metrobus is seen as it takes on passengers: Then two Reading Mainline AEC Routemasters pass eachother, in the company of a Reading Buses DAF SB220/Optare Delta, Reading Buses Metrobus 160 (WRD160T) and Newbury Buses 302 (HMA570T), a Leyland-National new to Crosville. (sighting suggested and footage provided by e kline; research by myself)

The Rocket Bus AKA Alf's Carpet (1929, Carl Schenstrøm, Harald Madsen)

The Danish stars were better known as Pat und Patachon in Germany; they are now seen as slapstick one fat one thin forerunners of Laurel and Hardy. In this movie shot in London they run a dilapidated bus service until one of them discovers a flying carpet. Their unlikely co-star is London General AEC B B5052 (LF9685): .......and also well seen is AEC NS NS2343 (YW7965). A third sighting of interest is this singledecker: (these screencaps originally posted by Alexander at the Internet Movie Car Database)

Rogue Trader (1999, Ewan MacGregor, Anna Friel)

Describes how trader Nick Leeson caused one of the biggest banking crashes in history in bringing down Barings Bank. Features MTL London M299 (BYX299V), a 1980 MCW Metrobus new to London Buses, and a glimpse of a Big Bus Company Leyland B20 Fleetline.

Romancing the Stone (1984, Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito)

Travelling to Colombia (but filmed in Mexico) Joan Wilder (Turner) is tricked into getting on the wrong bus and ends up in the middle of an adventure...

Roman Holiday (1953, Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn)

Features a three-axle Fiat trolleybus in Rome. (+Colin Read)

Romeo and Juliet (1996, Leonardo di Caprio)

"Filmed in Mexico City; some white buses are visible at a street fight scene." (thanks Carlos Wallberg)

Room at the Top (1959, Laurence Harvey, Simone Signoret)

"Urban location shots in Yorkshire, of West Yorkshire Road Car Bristol Ks and KSWs, complete with authentic soundtrack - no false, dubbed on sounds." (thanks Stuart Turner): The only clearly identifiable bus seen is West Yorkshire's HWW865, a Bristol K/Eastern Coachworks. A scene filmed at New Bank on the A58 in Halifax features passing Yorkshire Woollen Leyland Titan PD2s on the Halifax-Leeds service. Thanks to Bob Wingrove for the research on this:

The Rosa Parks Story (2002, Angela Bassett)

Made for TV film depicts the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Bill Vandervoort noted on Usenet: "Being a National City Lines property, Montgomery City Lines used GM Old Look buses, which they did correctly use in the movie. I couldn't tell the length of the bus in the movie, but prior to 1955 (when the incident took place), all buses delivered to Montgomery City Lines were short 36 passenger models, although National City Lines could have later shifted buses among the different properties. I don't know about authentic National City Lines paint schemes, having only vague memories of occasionally seeing Kalamazoo City Lines buses as a child in the 1960's.
But in the movie, the driver wore a hat which may have had a National City Lines logo on the badge. And when he made the phone call to the control center to call the police (before radios on buses, of course), the dispatcher was heard answering the phone 'Montgomery City Lines'.
Montgomery City Lines was one of many transit systems converted to buses, after National City Lines acquired the streetcar system from Alabama Power Co. in 1936."

Rotten to the Core (1965, Anton Rodgers, Kenneth Griffith)

Jon Price notes, "Routine comedy about stealing army payroll. Good sequence featuring Kenneth Griffith attempting to pickpocket at Victoria Coach Station, background shots of three Ribble/Standerwick/Scout 'Gay Hostess' Atlantean coaches, unidentifiable short white liveried Plaxton Panorama. Aldershot & District Park Royal bodied AEC Reliance dual purpose/coach. White liveried ECW bodied Bristol Lodekka FLF, with dark lower panels (Eastern National?). Also a rear view of Samuelsons Duple (Firefly?) 451FXX labelled for Longhampton, the fictious town in the film." Stuart Turner adds: "In the film 'Rotten to the Core' mentioned in the latest updates section, your correspondent mentions the 'Sammy's' Leyland Leopard/Duple rear view. This body was, in fact, one of the rare Dragonfly models and not a Firefly. The Firefly was fitted to front engined vehicles, eg Bedford SB, Albion Viking, etc and the Dragonfly was the 36 foot version for underfloor engined chassis."

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston et al)

An early scene has a yellow school bus outside a museum in New York. Soon after, Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow) gets off the second of two GM New Looks (probably fleet number 1102) in the livery of 'Green Line' to meet her brother off a ship: Later in the film, she is seen kissing Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) on a bus, probably one of those New Looks, but the shot is too close to see much.
When Ritchie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson) leaves hospital, he catches Green Line New Look 1102 home. The Green Line New Look Royal Tenenbaum catches after giving his wife a divorce is not identifiable.

Rude Boy (1980, Ray Gange, The Clash)

Raw drama-documentary-ish movie features music by The Clash and follows fan Ray Gange - it's raw and somewhat aimless.
A Plaxton Supreme bodied coach follows the Queen's car: A Metropolitan Police Bedford VAS/Duple, JGY969K: One of London Transport's MD-class Scania BR111DH Metropolitans: London Transport's RM776 (WLT776) arrives at a bus stop, but oddly it's an RML that the passengers board!

Rumble in the Bronx AKA Hong Faan Kui (1995, Jackie Chan)

Despite the title, BC Transit Flyer trolleybuses are seen - some of the film was shot in Vancouver!

The Runaway Bus (1954, Frankie Howerd, Petula Clark, Terence Alexander)

Fog prevents all aircraft leaving London Airport, and a group of passengers take an airline bus to another airport. The bus used "was MYV617 the original Commer-Harrington integral coach, still with BOAC at the time. It had previously been more(?) famous as an exhibit at the 1952 Motor Show." (thanks Martin Ingle)
Despite the coach being central to the action and on screen for most of the film, it's foggy and night-time, so clear views are difficult! There are interior views: It's not until the last minutes of the film that we see MYV617 reasonably well: A continuity howler reported by Grant Hurlock on usenet: at one point bus driver Frankie Howerd shins up a signpost to read road directions in the fog. The sign says WET PAINT and he slides down with his uniform jacket streaked and ruined. However, several minutes earlier, as he leans forward to peer into the night, Howerd is clearly already wearing the paint-stained jacket!

A Run For Your Money (1949, Donald Houston, Moira Lister, Alec Guinness)

Two Welsh miners visit London: A scene in Fleet Street features two RTs and two STLs. One of the miners attempts to board an RTL carrying a harp (!), later an LT is glimpsed outside Wembley Stadium. (+Colin Read).
The street footage is a mixture of studio talk with back projection..... ......with location shooting: The only STL identifiable is STL230 (AGX571), a 1933 example. The RTL in the harp incident is RTL118 (KGK782) (assuming the same bus was used for the interior footage, which is not guaranteed): More back projection, firstly an AEC RT, secondly I wish we could have seen more of the coaches in the background here. There are three in all: There is also a sighting of this AEC Regal III - the same as appears in Passport to Pimlico (made in the same year), possibly SWV254:

Rush Hour (1941)

Bob Wingrove advises "basically a Ministry of Information 5 minute short to tell people to keep off of peak hour buses and save them for war workers. A nice shot of an open staircase London Transport ST going behind the title, then what looks to me like a studio built platform, the last picture shows what looks like an ST in the blackout" (I have significantly lightened the third shot - registration appears to be BN5685 - open to offers on an identification.)

Rush Hour (1998, Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker)

An early scene features an open top Daimler Fleetline in Los Angeles.(thanks Barry). Shaun Kerr identifies it as ex Bournemouth Transport, which would be either CRU183C or CRU186C - both these Weymann-bodied buses spent time with London Transport as sightseeing buses before going to the US. When Lee (Chan) gives Carter (Tucker) the slip by boarding the Fleetline tour bus. In an echo of Chan's stunt in Police Story, Carter climbs the back of the bus and points a gun at him: .......only to be distracted and lose him again:

Rush Hour 2 (2001, Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker)

Features Hong Kong trams (no. 62 is seen clearly), and various New World First Bus vehicles, including a Dennis Trident.

The Russia House (1990, Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer)

"ZIU trolleybuses, Tatra trams and LiAZ buses in the background in many scenes" (thanks Carlos Wallberg), also an Ikarus coach. Barry Spence notes the "Moscow scene where Sean Connery walks with Michelle Pfeiffer to her trolleybus stop. After boarding she stays at the back, returning his gaze as the bus sets off – I am sure there's a dubbed sound effect of a (OK, quiet) diesel engine, unless it's only the actual sound of surrounding traffic. The end section of the film is set in Lisbon and a couple of trams are seen."

The Russian Dolls (2004, Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou)

Filmed in Paris, London and St Petersburg (thanks for the heads-up to Fran-Ikarus).
This unidentified coach is seen in Paris: In London we see the front of Arriva London VLW132 (LJ03MHE), a 2003 Wright-bodied Volvo B7TL, and in the distance a similar bus: Star Romain Duris travels twice in AEC Routemaster RM70 (VLT70), by then in preservation: Seen through RM70's front windscreen is another Routemaster, branded for route 12: Also seen in London is R904YBA, a 1998 Volvo B10M with Van Hool body new as Shearings 904: In St Petersburg, we see several trams, including 3071, 1020 and 1037.... ....and twilit trolleybuses:

Russian Roulette AKA Kosygin is Coming (1975, George Segal)

"Features a Vancouver [Brill] trolleybus turning a corner and suffering a dewirement in the process." (thanks John Day) Richard DeArmond's Electric Trolleybuses in the Movies webpage notes: "The dewiring scene was taken several times, but the driver couldn't make the poles dewire. So they had someone at the back of the trolley out of camera range reach out of the window and pull the poles down!"

The Rutles (1978, Eric Idle, John Belushi, Neil Innes, Dan Aykroyd et al )

Newsreel footage features a London Transport AEC RT. During an interview with Liverpool poet Roger McGough, a Merseyside PTE Scania Metropolitan drives through the background: The Beatles spoofsters (is that a word?) undertake a 'Tragical History Tour' in Plaxton-bodied coach URU34J. This 1971-registered vehicle was truly ahead of its time, since the Tragical History Tour took place in 1968:

RV (2006, Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels)

Features a superb-looking 1948 Flxible Clipper - actually two identical buses were used in filming.

Ryan's Daughter (1970, Sarah Miles, Robert Mitchum, John Mills, Trevor Howard)

Set in Ireland in 1916, features O'Shea's Motorbus. The Crossley Motors website notes this was a Crossley with a replica body; this may be preserved DB2243, a 1915 Crossley 20/25, originally an Irish country bus BI5014, however the current Spendlove replica body was built in 1974! The same bus (somewhat improbably) featured in the spaghetti western 'A Fistful of Dynamite'.

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Back to the top of this page - updated 5 September 2010