Reading Buses has revealed that a ‘bus of the future’ display will be one of the highlights of the forthcoming Reading Buses Open Day on July 3.
This year’s event, with all profits going to Reading Buses’ charity of the year Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), will highlight what could be on board buses between now and 2050.
Reading Buses Chief Executive, Martijn Gilbert, enthused: “We want to see what our customers and visitors can come up with too.”
The event at the operator’s Great Knollys Street depot will open at 1100hrs and offer an array of activities, stalls and events. Staffed by a small army of volunteers, Reading Buses say the day is ‘sure to be well loved by all who attend.’
A ‘bus rainbow’ will be on display, which will become the cavalcade around the town at the end of the day (1600hrs) as a procession showcases the bright and colourful liveries used on the operator’s buses.
Some of the most popular attractions are the behind the scenes tours, and Martijn advised: “Book early to avoid disappointment as we show you how our control room works and what goes on in our workshop.
“We also have some open top bus tours – weather permitting – as well as the family favourite – the bus wash.”
The Mayor will be guest of honour to open the day which last year, with the help of some generous sponsors, raised over £6,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society – a figure that Reading Buses would like to break this year.
To help with this, Reading Buses are also looking for sponsors, with Ticketer, the company’s ticket machine supplier already amongst the organisations who are donating money to help cover some of the day’s running costs.
Reading Buses will run a free shuttle from the town centre, starting at 1030hrs. Buses will do a loop of the town every 20 minutes to take visitors to the depot.
