00:00A bus journey is simply a way of getting from one place to another.
00:04However, it can also be one of the few opportunities in the day to see familiar faces and have a
00:10conversation.
00:11That's the idea behind Arriva's Happy to Chat campaign,
00:14which is encouraging small moments of conversation and kindness on board its services.
00:19Former Arriva bus driver Neil Atherton spent 18 years behind the wheel
00:23and says he saw the difference those everyday interactions could make.
00:26Basically, whenever you drive as a bus driver, you will have certain routes
00:30or you will have certain areas that you serve every day
00:32and the public do recognise that person.
00:35And I think when you are in that community click, as I'd say,
00:41you become that person's trusted person as a bus driver.
00:45At the same time, new research from Arriva suggests there can be a gap
00:48between wanting connection and starting a conversation.
00:51They say 66% of people admit pretending to be busy on their phone
00:55to avoid speaking to someone.
00:57But its research also found 82% said a brief interaction with a stranger had improved their mood.
01:03My nan got the bus and I always tease that everyone liked my nan
01:06because my nan was such a special person to me.
01:08So when it comes to looking after people on a bus,
01:12that's their only motive.
01:14Someone talking to them, someone saying hiya, goodbye.
01:17You know, you want to make that journey the best for that person.
01:19And that's what I always did.
01:22Was I late sometimes because I spoke to people a lot?
01:25Probably, yeah.
01:26But I did.
01:27I always made that journey special for every person I could.
01:30During Neil's career, he made a particular effort to speak to passengers where possible,
01:34including all the people who were travelling alone.
01:37Lovely customers can make your career, and they made my career.
01:40I ended up working a shopping city in Runcorn exercise
01:43where they basically shut the whole of the Runcorn and witness to build the new gateway bridge.
01:48And it affected all our bus services.
01:50And I ended up working underneath this shopping city for four or five weeks
01:54and got notoriety for doing it.
01:57And what led me to then doing the vaccine bus for Arriva,
02:00which I got notoriety again.
02:02And it was all from general public, and I went to number 10.
02:05For Neil, a smile, a hello, or a short conversation
02:07can sometimes be enough to brighten someone's day.
02:10And his approach to customer service was recognised with a British Empire Medal
02:14in the 2023 King's Honours.
02:16He's described that recognition as something he credits to the people he met
02:19during his years driving buses.
02:21That's their only interaction sometimes.
02:24The world moves so fast that they're just left somewhere,
02:28and they're walking behind us.
02:30And as a driver, I always would slow everything down to let them be seated,
02:36let them get a newspaper,
02:38let them just tell you about the day,
02:41you know, they want to ask you a question, answer the question.
02:44And as I said, 99% of our drivers do that exact thing every day.
02:48It was just, I had a bigger gob and people recognised me more.
02:52The campaign is intended to highlight how everyday journeys
02:55can provide opportunities for connection and community.
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