NOT seen on Oxford's streets in almost 50 years, a showcase of vintage buses are now set to traverse the city once again, with the launch of a one-off event celebrating vintage travel.

To coincide with the start of British Summer Time this weekend, the Oxford Bus Museum is offering the free vintage rides in and around the city centre with a Twilight Vintage Bus Ride event.

Three of the museum's restored vintage double deck buses will be available for the duration of the free evening tour from 6.30pm tomorrow.

Director of the museum Jonathan Radley promised motor enthusiasts and history buffs a night of pure nostalgia as the buses once again take to the streets.

He said: "The reason for running in the evening is so that the people of Oxford can see and experience a bygone era of bus travel in the city, when buses had relatively dim tungsten lighting which gave them a cosy and warm glow inside."

The vehicles include iconic features such as front engines ahead of the driver, seated in their own half-cab and rear platform for boarding.

Each of the buses will be accompanied by a conductor, issuing tickets similar to those of days gone by and each bus is painted in the deep red burgundy and duck-egg blue colour scheme notable in Oxford from the 1930’s to the 1970’s.

During the evening, the buses will follow a route from Broad Street onto Longwall, Magdalen Bridge, and the Plain roundabout, the High Street, St Aldates, Oxpens, Beaumont Street, St Giles and Parks Road.

The route will start from outside the Balliol College at Broad Street, Oxford, and the free tours will take place every 15 minutes.

In addition to the vintage bus tours, one of the old buses will be on display at Bonn Square from Midday, where people will be able to meet staff from the bus museum before embarking on the bus ride down memory lane.

The museum, based at Hanborough rail station, Long Hanborough, aims to tell the story of vintage travel across the area over the las 130 years and is a registered charity.

More details and information on the twilight vintage bus ride are available from the museum website at: oxfordbusmuseum.org.uk