Passion for Preserving Classic Buses
A Saturday night takeaway with friends is a common activity for many young people, but few arrive in a restored Ulsterbus. Luke Wilson, a 22-year-old self-described nerd, has invested nearly £10,000 in purchasing, preserving, and restoring two vintage buses that collectively have over one million miles on their odometers.
Wilson passed his bus-driver test in January this year. Although his licence restricts him to carrying only non-paying passengers, he has taken families on short trips, participated in old bus rallies, and transported friends to weekend outings.
"It's very nerdy for a 22-year-old - I actually agree with that,"Wilson said.
"But at the end of the day, I could be putting my money in worse places. At least I have something to show for it."
Wilson is part of a group of friends who share his enthusiasm for old buses. Together, they repair the vehicles and attend bus rallies. He particularly enjoys the restoration process.
"I enjoy the restoration part of it the most,"he said.
"It's a very rewarding feeling being able to drive on the road or go to events."
The most recent event they attended was a bus and coach rally held at the Ulster Transport Museum in Cultra, near Holywood.
Wilson identifies as a "bus preservationist" and aims to contribute to maintaining Northern Ireland's transport heritage.
"People buy classic cars, I buy classic buses,"he told NI.
"It's preserving what I went to school on, what I travelled on… before they're all scrapped and all we have left is photographs and videos.
Everybody has their hobbies. Some people like buses, some people like motorbikes, some people like cars, some people like football, we all have our own interests.
It makes us different, makes us unique as humans and I think it's great to see."
Fuel Costs and Maintenance Challenges
Wilson is from Newtownabbey, located on the northern outskirts of Belfast, and works as an apprentice fire-alarm engineer. His bus restoration hobby has become increasingly costly, especially with the recent rise in diesel prices.
"You can't just put £20 in and think 'that'll do'.
The £20 won't even make the gauge move slightly. It's probably about, at the moment, £400 to fill each bus.
Fuel consumption is around eight to nine miles per gallon, when they're going well.
They're very, very thirsty machines and very expensive,"he said.
Details of the Buses and Their History
Wilson's buses are approximately two decades old and were originally part of the Ulsterbus fleet starting in 2006.
He purchased one of the buses in 2024. This vehicle was fleet number 822 and was previously used on routes from Belfast city centre to the International Airport at Aldergrove, as well as along the north coast.
Although it was withdrawn from service in August 2022, the bus was briefly reinstated the following month to provide shuttle services to Hillsborough Castle after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The bus has accumulated over 800,000 miles and required extensive repairs, including a new radiator, tyres, brakes, and floor. It also needed repainting and repaneling.
Wilson's most recent acquisition, purchased earlier this year jointly with a friend, is another single-deck Ulsterbus. It was fleet number 2464 and has more than 400,000 miles on the clock. This bus operated routes from Bangor to locations such as Donaghadee, Dundonald, and Newtownards.
Originally, the bus had only 20 seats instead of the 43 it was designed to have, but Wilson has restored the seating to its intended capacity.
Both buses were part of a batch of 110 Scania vehicles bought by Translink in the early 2000s and still run on their original engines.
Future Plans and Aspirations
Wilson is eager to continue his hobby and is contemplating acquiring a larger vehicle.
"I don't know if I should step up to double-decker yet or not, let's wait and see.
Two at the moment is just enough,"he said.
"You never know what might happen in the future."
