Re-creation as recreation: the re-enactment of heritage buses in the everyday city

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Tsang, Kevin KH. 2025. Re-creation as recreation: the re-enactment of heritage buses in the everyday city. Applied Mobilities, pp. 1-18. ISSN 2380-0127 [Article] (In Press)

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/23800127.2025.2466878

Abstract or Description

This paper explores the re-enactment of running heritage buses in the everyday city through a series of events. It presents findings from enthusiast-organised activities to re-create the past, based on four public and private events involving the reappearance of heritage buses on the streets of London. Through participatory observations undertaken in late 2022, these buses were arguably performing a re-enactment consisting of a re-dressing of the material culture of the bus, which involved paying tribute through considerable attention to detail. It also involved enthusiast conductors engaging in role-play with passengers to perform historical everyday mobility practices, thus reconstructing the atmosphere of the past. The juxtaposition of heritage buses with contemporary city landmarks for photography purposes was found to be popular among enthusiasts and appealing to the general public, which potentially also transformed private events into semi-public ones. The difference between the two notions of “nostalgic heritage” and “bonding heritage” (Laar 2013) was found not clear-cut because heritage buses impart different meanings and connections to individuals with different backgrounds, for which autobiographical and familial references appear key. As newcomers to Britain, Hongkongers formed a significant demography in these events, which they described as making them “feel at home” and on a “pilgrimage”. Critical reflections on current bus services were also prompted by the re-creation of past routes, which could be a useful strategy for collecting public opinion as the future of bus mobilities is reconsidered in the context of the past re-created.

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Article

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https://doi.org/10.1080/23800127.2025.2466878