Back in early 2021, Arriva dedicated a bus to a local enthusiast John Cooze, who is an avid fan of all things Arriva. John, who is autistic, has a vast picture collection of Arriva buses, but has a clear favourite from the local fleet. In ‘normal’ times, John would also visit bus depots and enjoy getting to understand more about the Arriva fleet and bus operations in the area. Due to the ongoing challenges of Covid-19, John was not able to see his bus for himself or make a much-enjoyed visit to a bus depot for a long time.
Recently, however, that changed and John was welcomed to Arriva’s Thurmaston depot, where he was described as a visitor the depot team are always happy to see – and he was given a special behind the scenes tour.
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Shaun Bloxam, Acting Operations Manager at Arriva Midlands, said: “It has been great to see John at Thurmaston depot and to be able to show him the new home of his dedicated bus, which was previously based at our Wigston depot. John is such a big fan of all things Arriva and all things bus, we’re proud to support his passion!”
There are around 700,000 autistic people in the UK, all of whom have their own passions, perspectives and strengths, and face varying challenges. Sam Freeman is a senior support worker at the National Autistic Society and supports John at the charity’s adult services in Leicestershire. He said: “John has always been interested in buses. He’s a real bus enthusiast and he’s often said his dream is to see his name on a bus. John loves being around or travelling on buses and he hasn’t been able to do this in the same way in the past couple of years, due to coronavirus, which has been really hard for him.
“All of us at the National Autistic Society are delighted to see John so happy after such a challenging year. A big thank you to Arriva for making this happen, it’s just brilliant.”
