A council employee from Greenwich has executed an epic 340km journey across the country after setting himself the bizarre challenge of seeing how far he could travel from London in just 24 hours, only using buses.
Jo Kibble, 39, is the head of the leader's office at Ealing Council, and had spent his time studying various timetables and routes to work out hypothetically how far he could get on the country's bus networks.
But after "18 months of having exciting travel plans cancelled," he decided to test his plan in practice, describing his quest as "things no one else is crazy enough to be doing right now."
His unusual odyssey saw him hop on countless buses and assemble thousands of fans and well-wishers on social media as they tracked his journey all the way to Morecambe.
The Greenwich resident said he was going on a "trip to answer one of the great unanswered questions: just how far can you travel by bus from London in 24 hours."
Calculating before the attempt, Mr Kibble estimated that the furthest he could get in one day would be Morecambe, some 260 miles from the geographical centre of London.
But unsatisfied with this just being hypothetical, he set off at 3am from Charing Cross aiming to get as far as possible in 24 hours.
Only buses were permitted for the journey, with coaches off the cards, with the Greenwich resident bringing a packed lunch and crocheted tortoise for company.
So, it’s just gone 3am, and the odyssey begins. I’m at Charing Cross, the point from which all distances from London are measured, and the aim is to get as far a possible from here in 24 hours. And here’s my first bus, London’s fourth longest route. Start the clock! #bus24 pic.twitter.com/xH9vnNJtcj
— [Restricted] Animal (@politic_animal) August 20, 2021
Jo later totalled the individual bus fares, and in total the trip cost him £56.95, cheaper than a walk-up train fare between his start point and destination.
The epic bus adventure first took him to Heathrow on the N9, and from there he travelled from Slough and then up north to Chiltern Hills.
Jo was treated to several spectacular landmarks and points of interest on his slow and winding journey, passing through the "remarkable architecture" of Preston Bus Station.
But he also had to endure Aylesbury bus station on the way, calling it ‘one of the most depressing places on earth’ in one of his many amusing ober
The route had been intricately planned, but the 39-year-old was hindered at points by road works and fare dodgers threatening to upset his tight schedule, plus one driver who stopped to tell some tourists how to buy a ticket in Italian.
Frequent toilet breaks and a quick walk around Bolton when things were getting tough helped keep the council employee sane, and only one connection was missed all day.
And at 00:29 on Saturday, Jo arrived at Morecambe Bus Station, six minutes ahead of schedule and 21 hours and 29 minutes after setting off.
The heroic Greenwich local opted for significantly quicker train travel to get him home, vowing to give bus travel a break for the foreseeable future.
Jo said he had enjoyed watching the late-night revellers in London switch to people starting early shifts at Heathrow before sharing the bus with older locals as he travelled through Northampton and pub-crawling students in Manchester.
"I now know too much about the sex lives of some Lancaster University students and the tall tales some people tell about their batting prowess," he told the BBC.
The Twitter thread posted by Mr Kibble (@politic_animal) has been retweeted, liked and commented on thousands of times, with social media users becoming enthralled in one man's attempt to turn the mundane into the intriguing.
Jo told his Twitter following: "When I came up with this idea of a stupid, long bus journey just to amuse myself I didn’t think it would be of any interest to anyone much else apart from me.
"So I am amazed and really pleased that people have had so much fun and enjoyed the tweeting."
He added: "Thank you so much for your support, kind words, encouragement and advice, it meant a lot."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel