Bristol boy bus enthusiast takes more than 100 trips in one month

A Bristol schoolboy and self-described ‘bus enthusiast’ has travelled more than 100 times on buses in a single month. 

Jacob Shlimon, from Knowle, fell in love with buses when he was just three-years-old. 

The 15-year-old now knows everything about buses and has strong views about all bus issues.    

He has travelled on every single bus in the city (bar two nighttime services) and can identify all the different models used in the region.  

Sign up for our free newsletters now

In December, Jacob used his Birthday Bus Pass 105 times, along with fellow members of the WECIL youth club at The Park in Knowle.           

One day, he spent 13 hours riding buses to and around Bath, going on ones and visiting places he’d never been on and to before.    

The youngster, who is easily able to reel off routes and bus numbers, having memorised different bus timetables, is set on becoming a bus driver when he is older.

He has also been given a full tour of Stagecoach's Bristol depot - which, according to his mother Anny, is his dream.        

She said: "He's always loved the buses. I think it started with his fascination with numbers when he was in nursery, and really developed later on when he started getting the bus by himself in secondary school. 

“It's the versatility of buses that makes them so interesting to Jacob; all the different routes and the connections you can get. He’s always been interested in buses as a way of getting people from A to B. 

“The buses have been incredible for his confidence – I can’t emphasise that enough. It’s made him a much more confident teenager, and young man. He's now really independent, which is brilliant."  

West of England Mayor Dan Norris, who joined Jacob for a tour of the bus depot, added: “It was clearly many happy returns - and singles - for Jacob in his birthday month! 

“Bravo to him for using the buses out there - that's exactly what we need more people to do in order to help build the local transport system residents deserve, which in turn will cut congestion and slash emissions locally.”