Let’s face it, this is the future of city’s transport

Oct 2 2007 by Phillip Nifield, South Wales Echo

CITY commuters chosen as the new faces of Cardiff Bus got a first glimpse of themselves in pride of place on a new fleet of single-deckers.

Six passengers who had a heart-warming or funny tale about the company were chosen to appear on the back of its buses.

Steven Bailey, 52, of Beechley Drive, Pentrebane, and Michael Simmons, 18, of Glendale Avenue, Llanishen, were among those wowed by the finished article on show outside City Hall yesterday.

Michael, a student, said: “I want to go into marketing and thought I would put myself forward. I use the bus all the time. The photograph looks amazing.

“It’s really a good idea to have real people who use the service rather than just a model.”

Steven, a home care nurse, travels around eight times a day on buses and met his late American wife Sophia on a bus to the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans.

“We just got chatting and exchanged phone numbers,” said Steven, whose wife died of a brain haemorrhage seven years ago.

“I’ve met some really wonderful people on the bus and lots of my school friends are drivers.”

The other Cardiff passengers chosen to feature on the back of a Cardiff Bus were Jenny Hemingway, of Downton Rise, Rumney; Daniel Bois, of Cowbridge Road East, Victoria Park; Pauline Da-Rocha, of Brynbala Way, Trowbridge, and Elaine Petersen of Nevin Crescent, Rumney.

They won the chance after Echo readers were asked to write in and tell of their stories about Cardiff Bus.

The company then chose six of their favourites from the entries.

Each winner has been given an annual bus pass for themselves or a family member.

A fleet of 15 new green buses, complete with “clean engines” which meet tough European standards of emissions, go into service on Monday.

The vehicles have cost the company £2.5m and six of them will operate on the newly-named Capital City Green route from the city centre to Llanishen and Thornhill.

phillip.nifield@mediawales.co.uk