2FM Breakfast co-host Aisling Bonner looks back over the joy she has found in one year of a daily bus commute
Among those grateful for the Dublin Bus service includes fellow commuter and former president Mary Robinson. Graphic: Clare Meredith
I recently marked one year of commuting home from work on the bus. It was a humble event. I didn’t share it on LinkedIn under the heading ‘personal news’, I didn’t nudge the passenger beside me saying ‘guess what’, and I wasn’t awarded the Coppers Gold Card version of a Leap Card by the driver. I kept things low-key. I’m aware that there are far longer-serving veterans of public transport than me, those who have grown weary of condensation-laden windows, disappearing ghost buses and mouthy lads with Bluetooth speakers. Those people would probably hate to see me alight the bus, full of optimism and tapping on with a smile. They would roll their eyes and return to their audio books and that’s fair enough. Maybe I’ll be like them when I grow up, but, for now, year one has been good to me.
I’ve had interesting conversations with quirky characters; I’ve invented games which keep my journeys interesting and I’ve even rubbed shoulders with a former president of Ireland. I am fast becoming a Busfluencer – someone who really, really likes the bus.