Bus Driver Told to Stop Blowing Bubbles
Ask a Question
For around six years, London bus driver Ricki Reid has been brightening journeys by blowing bubbles from his bus along the 106 route between Finsbury Park and Whitechapel.
The 54-year-old father of six became known locally as the “bubble bus” driver, with his simple gesture eventually gaining international attention for bringing smiles to passengers and people on the streets.
But Reid has now been asked by his employer, Go-Ahead London, to stop using his bubble gun following unspecified safety considerations. The company has not publicly detailed the exact concern, but says Reid remains a valued member of the team and has been asked to prioritise getting Londoners where they need to be.
I do not have any immediate concerns with him doing this, but obviously, it appears some complaints must have come through for it now to be an issue that needs to be addressed
Would you have an issue with this if you had a bus driver doing this in your area? 
He's just a local character that everyone enjoys, But there is some people who don't like characters and don't want people enjoying themselves
martinlufc5637 yes, unfortunately there are some miserable types who don’t want anyone to experience joy, so the whole world can be different shades of grey opposed to the colourful rainbow that it is
I can't see how it would be a big issue what this driver is doing, I imagine he only does it at times where the bus is moving very slowly or stuck in traffic. I personally would love to see this driver going along the road blowing bubbles. I don't know what safety considerations the bus company had but it isn't necessarily due to people complaining, maybe the company saw all the publicity and felt it wasn't a good look for them for some reason.
I would have thought it was quite fun for his passengers. Clearly for 6 years it didn't cause any problems but nowadays we can find anything small and make it a huge safety concern. I guess it depends when he uses it as to what the concern could be. I can think of a couple but it would be completely guessing as we don't have much information.
It's never been a problem during the six years Ricki has blown bubbles from his bus so why should it be now...Get him a job at West Ham!! X
janphoenix51 yes but would be told to stop blowing bubbles in west ham as well. It'll be some idiot in an office being over kill on health and safety added wanting the staff to just take money and drive and not engage in customers saying they need to focus on what they are employed to do. Honestly customer service is important and getting a good name in the community is important as well.
Jerseydrew , Hopefully not in West Ham, their fans are used to singing I'm forever blowing bubbles, so get them onside of Ricki & let him carry on blowing bubbles from his bus as he has done for six years without complaint..
People power wins the day!
Unless he’s not being in full control of the bus I see no problem. Keep please smiling there’s too much hate in this world!
Honestly? That's a shame. Locals need to kick off. The world needs people like him. Everyone would love this regardless of age. Even grumpy teenagers who only secretly love it. Talk about stopping happiness. Having happy staff encourages others to use that business as well.
Jerseydrew indeed - I read about why he started doing it in the first place & he truly believes in spreading happiness & joy, so it’s a shame his bosses have asked him to stop (such a cliche - just typical of bosses wanting to stop anyone finding that silver lining)
I suppose they have it listed as a health hazard or some such. Party Poopers everywhere. Council took all the flowers off our balconies where I live.
MelissaLee1 that’s awful - who had an issue with the flowers? I mean, in the spring & summer times, they are everywhere already (flowers often brighten up a place, even though they may set my hayfever off - but I still appreciate them)
I spent an evening at my mothers house and when I returned home the following morning the council were removing all our balcony gardens! I had my balcony garden for over 20 years and it was well kept. Never a word. I think that after Grenfell somewhen at the council must have gone on an a H and S course and is now busy ticking boxes on forms. A few weeks later there was a council notice on a nearby board promoting Balcony gardens and a community in bloom! hspexy 
Someone probably reported him, been no issues for 6 years and all of a sudden there's an issue with it. Why's everyone nowadays such fun sponges
Such a miserable sad grey country we live in nowadays. Can't say or do anything without being in trouble. 
Sounds great fun but bubble mixture can be slippery so I guess it depends on how he was doing it. I can see both sides of this
Join for free to get genuine deals, money saving advice and help from our friendly community
Chief Bargain Hunter
