I have heard some sad news this evening that Mike Smith owner of RM1001 has passed away earlier today of a heart attack. I'm sure we all send our best wishes to his family at this difficult time..

My bus number (if any): rm158

mark kind of you to pass this sad info on i saw mike in july,very sad news
very nice gentleman to talk to for advice he will be missed.

My bus number (if any): RCL2238

That is very sad news Mark, Mike was a one of the good guys, help anyone with anything, he was so helpful to me with parts for RMC 1458.

I'm glad I met him, thoughts and condolences to family and friends.

This sad news follows the death of Hervé Le Quellec the owner of Publibus in France in a motor bike accident two weeks ago. He had mostly Bristol buses but certainly had a Routemaster at one time and has sold a number of Metrobuses in recent years.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RMC 1458 RM 1585, (M 961, M 271 - both sold) and several RTs

Very shocked to hear this,

Mike was one of the first people I worked for when he was a pIcture editor.
A really nice chap, very knowledgeable and unflappable and quite unlike many of his counterparts.

I had no idea at the time (1990-92) that he was a Routemaster fan or bus enthusiast, although I should have known as his work sheets were always littered with doodles of AEC triangles and RM front grilles!! I don't suppose any of his colleagues at that time had a clue as to what those scribbles actually were!

It was much later, just 4 or 5 years ago that I spoke with him and sorted out some black and white prints of his other bus RM1804.

Very sad news indeed.

Thoughts with his family and close pals who have lost a true gent.

This is very sad news I have know Mike for nearly 20years we used to keep my RF and RM2116 in the same barn in Essex back in the 1990s
He love is RM1001 and enjoyed driving it and he was a early member of Routemaster Assocition and was a great supported of the assocition
We all will miss mike not only as a owner but as a friend
God bless you Mike it was a pleasure knowing you

sorry to hear that my regards go out to his family i hope someone out there can carry on running his bus for him i met him many years ago at rally and a nice man