‘I’ll miss the P2. Probably more than I ever caught it’

It’s a bit like when Woolworths went bust.

‘Ah, I miss Woolworths in the High Street, pick’n’mix and buying records and CDs.’

‘When did you last shop there?’

‘Oh, I never shopped there any more, but I liked to see it, it reminded me of my childhood.’

And so I am sad that after today, I won’t see the P2 go past my house any more. It’s the only bus that does so, unless a road is up somewhere that demands a re-routing. Amazingly, not only did it pass my house, but over the 11 years it’s been running, it also passed right outside the two places where I’ve worked over that period. So I have tried to use it where I could.

But it became impossible in recent years when the last bus of the day, which I think left the Bridge at 6, stopped operating, leaving me stranded at Braye Road.

The P2 has not always been a mini bus, but it has been for most of its life, and I like that. I know it’s not practical for most services but it’s kind of reassuring to see a modestly-sized bus which actually fits our roads – and with average passenger carryings of five on a busy run it was more than adequate.

I presume the bus stop about 50 yards from my house will have its paint scrubbed off the road soon.

I have often wondered if I’m the only person who has ever used it, and if it’s Guernsey’s least-used bus stop, given it only passes that way once every two hours, six days a week. Several times drivers have remarked: ‘I never knew there was a stop there!’

I’ve also enjoyed the odd trip, including my last one, funnily enough, a few months ago, where I’ve provided directions to the driver who was unsure of the route or diversions on it.

I reckon the most people I ever shared the bus with was just entering double figures, and funnily enough, it stacks up with the States’ own figures as it was a mid-afternoon run. In its early days I even used to sometimes check tickets left on the floor from earlier passengers, to see if I could work out how many people had actually used the bus that day.

Yes, you don’t have to tell me...

So for many reasons I’ll miss the P2. Probably more than I ever caught it.