Mikey #lovemybus blog 2The #lovemybus champions are taking the bus for a whole year from Kilmarnock or Ayr to Glasgow and reporting back on their experiences. The champions will share what taking the bus means for their daily routine and the stories and anecdotes that they find on their journey. Mikey chooses the bus to commute because it is better for the environment, to reduce congestion and it is flexible for his lifestyle.

Choosing Bus over Car1. What is your main motivation for choosing bus? There would be two main motivations really:

Easiness would be the first, and is probably the main motivation for people. When I moved back to Kilmarnock from Glasgow I had to choose between the train and the bus and the bus was easiest as there is a stop near my house so I don’t have to go into the centre of town, to catch a train.

The environment would be the second. I didn’t want to drive because of the effect it has on my carbon footprint. My partner works in a different part of Glasgow from me and so if we drove that would be two more cars on the road and that would add to the congestion as well as your footprint.

2. Research suggests that those who choose bus over car can enjoy more me-time, do you that is the case?Yeah, definitely, I have never really been a fan of driving, I just did it because it was easy. But taking the bus means I have time to sleep, read a book, or listen to music. As I have got older I have lost time to just relax but the bus gives me that hour and a half everyday to myself.

Whereas if you are driving, whatever you are doing you are a lot more passive because you have to focus on the road, so if you are listening to a podcast on the bus you can focus on it a lot more.

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3. How does it make you feel to contribute to reducing pollution/congestion and greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change?

I think it is great, it has become more and more of a motivation for me. It is me making a choice as an individual to make a difference – instead of waiting around for the Council of Government to do something for you. In the past, I always felt I am waiting for someone to change the law or change how the engine works in a car or something else, but this is something I can personally do and make a difference.

4. Is there one thing that would improve your journey further? The main thing that makes me think about the bus as a choice is the journey times. I was reading some research that suggested times can be 40-45% higher for buses during rush hour compared to times in the middle of the day. Things like bus lanes would make such a difference, especially around the Paisley – Silverburn area where you can sometimes be for up to 20 minutes. So more joined up thinking to realise that a priority bus route around that area would make a big difference.

Some people see the bus as a bit of an unknown because of the variation in journey times. I have friends that say, ‘well it can take up to an hour and you don’t know when you are going to get there, but the train we know how long it takes.’ The bus priority measures are definitely worth factoring in when they look at new roads.

5. Will you be choosing bus over the festive period?Yeah, I will be, I live in Kilmarnock, and work in Glasgow, but have friends and family in Ayr. So, the bus routes are so much better connected that the trains in this part of Scotland. It makes the most sense for me to choose the bus to go and see friends and family.

6. What would be your one recommendation to others to choose bus over car? It is really just going back to the whole congestion thing. If you choose the bus, you take one car off the road, and if 10 people choose the bus, it takes 10 cars off the road and that really starts to make a difference to the congestion problem and shortening the journey times. Then there is the environmental impact, if you are on the bus, your carbon footprint is negligible compared to someone taking a car.

7. Do you have any other bus stories you would like to share?Not so much stories, but just on some of the conversations I have been having through being involved in this campaign. As the M77 is still a relatively new phenomenon in Kilmarnock, most people still think of the bus as what it was like 10-15 years ago.

Through having those conversations with people you see the changes people start to make, especially I’ve noticed that people are starting to talk like the train is not the default choice anymore but that the bus is being considered.

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