Please mind the gap between the timetable and reality.

In London there's a bit of a divide between people who take the bus and those who take the Tube. Tube fans love to hate the quirks of individual tube lines - the distinctly leisurely attitude of the District Line, the headlong rush of Piccadilly trains, the workman like thrum of the Central line or the downright infuriating ever-decreasing circles of the Circle Line. Complaining about free papers thrust at you from all directions, whilst secretly relishing being drip-fed celebrity gossip, is high on the list of tube activities, especially now that the craze for trying to solve your next-door neighbour's Sudoku as you peer over their shoulder has passed. In Bristol the divide is simpler. Those who are on the bus, and those who are still waiting at the bus stop. Yes, that's right. Bristol buses are not the best in the world, and at £2.10 per single and with a free Metro paper, it's easy to kid yourself that you're in London. After just two weeks of Bristol buses I've clocked up several hours of bus-stop waiting in rain, wind and shine due to buses not turning up, sailing right past expectant passengers, and just being plain late. Though bus activities are rather more sociable. People actually talk to each other on the bus, and even offer a helping hand or piece of advice. And one day, for no reason in particular, the bus home was free. Rant over.