Arriva “bus walker” Neil Atherton is hoping to inspire colleagues to emulate his impressive fundraising efforts after being given the role of Charity Ambassador by the operator.
Mr Atherton, who has raised nearly £30,000 for charity in the last five years, is two months into his new full-time post after switching from his role as a bus driver trainer.
In several high-profile challenges so far, the Widnes-based man has walked more than 500 miles. He has accomplished so much more than he expected when he set off on his original 150-mile “bus walk” over seven days along the entirety of Arriva’s seven routes in Runcorn in aid of the Trussell Trust.
“I never in my wildest dreams thought that it would catch the imagination like it did from day one. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved,” he says, in reference to what he describes as a great support team at Arriva and all those who donated.
“Without them, it would just have been a crazy man with a flag walking down the street.”
With a moniker that nods to a famous line from the sitcom The Inbetweeners, the “bus walker” has kept to the theme of hiking Arriva’s bus routes. In 2022, he walked 105 miles in seven days in the Merseyside area to raise money for food banks and the homeless.
I never in my wildest dreams thought that it would catch the imagination like it did from day one
The following year, Mr Atherton trekked Arriva routes in seven regions from Durham to London, covering 125 miles in seven days. Earlier this year, he walked 50 miles in a day between seven of the operator’s depots in the Liverpool City Region. That was followed by 150 miles along seven routes from Runcorn.
The motivation for the man who started with Arriva as a bus driver 25 years ago came from watching a documentary about food poverty. “Sadly, in the year 2025, now there are more food banks than there are McDonald’s restaurants,” he says.
Mr Atherton adds: “I’ve had people nearly running me over trying to give me money.” He fondly recalls one particular instance when a man gave him £1 and then later turned up at St Helens depot with another £20.
He explains: “His story was that he was made homeless and was using food banks. But, now he has a house and a job, he felt that he wanted to contribute back to the food bank that helped him.”
Alongside the moments of pride, he recalls walking the 51 service from Hemel Hempstead and ending up walking along the side of a motorway. However, he cites the toughest time as the 50 miles he covered in one day, starting at 0420hrs and completing it at 2200hrs collapsing with heatstroke.
“That made me realise how much you can put your body through,” he says. “I don’t know how I did it.”
Mr Atherton is one of seven nominees in the “Unsung Hero” category at The Guide Liverpool Heroes awards on 21 November. After that, he is planning a series of 5km walks every day in December.
“I want to raise awareness that not everyone’s having a John Lewis Christmas,” he says of what is set to be his last challenge because his body is “absolutely knackered”.
However, he will pass on the baton through his new Arriva role. Among the projects he has already been working on is one with the Sight Loss Council in which drivers use adapted goggles to experience what people with sight loss face when boarding a bus.
In his new job, he will try to point Arriva staff who want to fundraise in the right direction via the company’s network of contacts. He adds: “It is something that I’m really excited about, because there are so many people in the business, especially in my region, who do loads of charity work. I want to make as many charity walkers, charity runners, etc, as possible.”
Richard Hoare, Area Director for Arriva North West and Wales, pays tribute, saying: “Neil’s transition into this role marks an important and inspiring moment for Arriva in Merseyside.
“It’s the first time we’ve created a role like this, and it shows our commitment to making a difference in the communities we proudly serve.
“Neil is a one-off: he has years of frontline experience, a deep understanding of local needs and a genuine passion for helping others.
“His work, whether it’s partnering with food bank charities, improving accessibility, or simply being a trusted presence in the community, is a powerful example of the fact that Arriva is about connecting communities in all sorts of ways, not just getting customers from A to B.
“We’re really proud to support Neil in this role and we’re excited to see the positive changes he’ll drive.”
