Dad-of-six Ricki Reid has become a local legend along his 106 route between Finsbury Park and Whitechapel – often spotted with his bubble gun
A beloved East London bus driver has been banned from blowing bubbles out of his cab window due to safety concerns. Ricki Reid, a 106 driver who has become a local legend along his route between Finsbury Park and Whitechapel, is no longer allowed to take his famed bubble gun to work after his bosses at Go Ahead London intervened.
Over the past few years Mr Reid went viral on several occasions after joyful interactions with passengers while boarding his bus. Children across parts of North and East London would refer to it as ‘the bubble bus’ when spotting him as he drove by.
Earlier this year Hackney Council posted a feel-good Instagram interview showing how much Hackney and Tower Hamlets residents appreciated Mr Reid, prompting international news coverage from the Washington Post.
When approached for arranging an interview with Mr Reid, a Go Ahead London spokesperson said: “Ricki has stopped blowing bubbles following some safety considerations, so he isn’t available for interview on this topic at the moment.” The bus company has not confirmed the exact ‘safety considerations’ which prompted the ban.
Go Ahead London said that Mr Reid remains a valued member of their team – and that he was simply asked to hang up his bubble gun to prioritise getting Londoners where they need to be.
Mr Reid began blowing bubbles from his bus cab years ago when standing in a supermarket he noticed a small bottle had been marked ‘reduced to clear’. He noticed constantly opening and closing the bottle became difficult, prompting his decision to switch to a bubble gun.
From then on, every day the dad-of-six would ensure his batteries were charged the night before a shift while making sure he was constantly stocked with bubble fluid. “A simple thing like a bubble, it makes someone smile,” he told The Washington Post. That’s where the power is,” he said. “You take that smile and someone else has got it now, then someone else has got it. And it keeps going round and round and around so everyone’s smiling.”
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