Single, double-decker, electric, trolley, bendy, mini, and shuttle: the humble bus in all its varieties has been a mainstay of public transport across the world for more than a century. And, while most passengers probably don't give the vehicles a second thought, 13-year-old Alex John takes a rather different view.
The self-professed bus enthusiast from Birchgrove, Swansea, caught 101 buses last month alone – including 21 trips in just one day. Proud mum Michelle James says the unusual hobby has transformed Alex from "a young boy who wanted to stay in his bedroom away from other people" into a more confident teenager.
Remarkably she hasn't had to give her son a penny for the bus fares with Alex funding them himself through his thriving sweet shop business. For Alex, who is a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe, it's the versatility of buses that makes them so interesting.
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"They can be used in any way. They can be privately owned by someone, they could be turned into a shop, a campervan, a house – anything," he said. His interest began when he was a young boy with his first trip being on one of Swansea's bendy buses.
Michelle added: "He’s always been fascinated by transport. It was the Titanic before it was buses." Now Alex has too many bus collectibles – amassed from car boot sales and museums – to count.
He pays for his bus tickets through selling sweets in school and his local park. The small enterprise took off in the summer holidays this year and altogether he's made around £2,000.
“He’d go out every day to either catch buses or he’d go to the park and sell his sweets and then he’d go and catches buses," recalled Michelle, 40. At the end of September he started logging all his journeys on his phone including details such as the bus company, bus number, the vehicle, and whether the driving is "good, bad or decent".
"He realised how many he’d caught in such a short space of time from recording it and then set himself a target," said trainee teacher Michelle. He managed an impressive 21 journeys on October 31 – and he even made it back in time for trick or treating.
"There was one time I woke up at five o’clock to catch the first bus of that day," said Alex. He's determined to catch more than 101 buses in November and is on track to do so.
As for his long-term plans Alex hopes to combine his business with his unique hobby. "My future plan is to buy a double-decker bus, live on top and have a shop underneath...with this idea I can attend festivals and events," he said.
Meanwhile mum Michelle fully backs both his enthusiasm for buses and burgeoning business. "He’s learnt so much about the world and developed many skills," she said. "Through buying and selling sweets he’s learnt about profit and loss... Through travelling on the buses he’s learnt about the local area, different communities, and people."
She continued: "He gets up really early, unlike most teenagers, just to start his bus adventures so it’s a winner in my eyes. I know Alex has got a wish that he wanted to go to a First Bus depot… He would love for his wish to come true.”
