Start 'em young!
Here at The Red Bus we like to reward our most loyal passengers, and none of them go back further than Lewis. He was only two when he first jumped on RM1353 back in 2007.
Since then he's been on loads of times, for our Christmas trips, our storytelling shows in the Meadows and round Arthur's Seat, at our open days...
Now he is 12 so we asked him if he would like to drive another of our Routemasters, RM737, around the yard. He said yes! So earlier this month Lewis came along with his grandad, grandma and mother and they watched him take a shot at the wheel one Saturday morning. In fact, grandad gave the start and stop bells!
Lewis did brilliantly, changing gear, using the mirrors and indicators and pulling the handbrake on and off. He steered round the yard like he'd been doing it for years.
"I've got lots of model Routemasters at home but it's amazing to drive one," Lewis said. "It was easier than I thought."
In case you think we've gone completely mad, Sam was in the cab with him to keep an eye on things. "He was a natural in this bus," Sam said. "I was particularly impressed with his gentle braking, which would put a lot of Lothian Buses drivers to shame."
Well done Lewis. We hope to see you again soon!
Here he is at various stages from 2007 to May 2018: