General Election 2015: The battle buses (and a Smart car) take to the road
It's all about the seats – bus seats, that is. As the election campaign hits top gear the main parties are hitting the road in 'battle buses', a feature of elections since the 1940s. But who has the best one and what does each vehicle reveal about the party behind the wheel?
Liberal Democrats
Battle bus: A 42-seat Van Hool.
Appearance: Extremely yellow. The eye-catching design was created by two art students.
Slogan: “Stronger economy, fairer society, opportunity for everyone”
Key features: Satellite transmitter that allows Nick Clegg to conduct radio interviews on the move; lighting system with “disco mode”.
Weaknesses: Size – it got jammed on a narrow road in Oxfordshire.
Ticket to ride: Journalists pay £750 a day to climb aboard.
Conservatives
Battle bus: A Spanish-built Irizar.
Appearance: Big, blue and decorated with union flags.
Slogan: “On the road to a better future”
Key features: Leather seats, plasma TV screens.
Ticket to ride: The Tory bus is strictly invitation only, but journalists who make the cut enjoy complimentary sandwiches, tea, fruit and coffee.
Greens
Battle bus: A modified Routemaster.
Appearance: Bright green, naturally.
Slogan: TBC
Key features: The Greens’ battle bus runs on chip fat and vegetable oil.
Weaknesses: Unknown as yet.
Ticket to ride: Party members welcome, but it will only be on the road for the final two weeks.
Labour
Battle buses: A Mercedes coach and two Fiat Scudo Panoramas.
Appearance: The coach is silver, Ed Miliband’s Fiat is gold and Harriet Harman’s is (controversially) pink.
Slogan: “A better plan, a better future”
Key features: Agility. The Fiats can navigate roads too narrow for the Mercedes.
Weaknesses: One of the Fiats broke down on the first day.
Ticket to ride: Journalists pay £100 a day to ride with Labour luminaries.
Ukip
Battle bus: The party doesn’t have one.
A Ukip-branded Smart car was sighted at the party’s campaign launch on Canvey Island, Essex, in February, but a spokesman told The Independent on Sunday that its leaders would be travelling on public transport “just like the rest of us”.
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