Well, I wasn’t really ever gone to be honest, but I think it’s about time for an update of where I am.
My last post in 2020 was about adding functionality for bus enthusiasts and looking back and remembering where we were then, I feel proud of what I achieved with this functionality. Last year, I did an interview with Riku Fryderyk and it’s well worth a watch if you haven’t yet. Be sure to also check out the rest of their Youtube channel for some great videos related to transport.
The interview was done while I was in Bangkok as I went travelling for six months. We learn a lot from travelling and definitely a big lesson for me was how difficult it really is to work and travel at the same time. Firstly, there’s a balance to be found in between sitting down and working and going out and exploring new things. I found it hard to achieve this balance, because there’s a huge world to explore and only limited time. Then we layer on the time zone differences (I went from GMT +7 all the way to GMT -3), internet and connectivity in different countries, a laptop that was on the brink and constantly running out of space and the pressure of packing and unpacking, figuring out how to get to the next airport or just where to get your next meal. This is all to say that I really haven’t put as much effort into London Bus Pal as I could have, but I have no regrets either as I managed to really experience a lot in this time and from a personal point of view, I really needed a break.
In all of this time, I have had a few volunteers who have helped out with the app to allow me to focus on development work where I had the time. A huge shoutout and thanks to ThatWestLondonBusGuy, VT, c1taro and hdg for really keeping everything going.
I just arrived back in London a week ago and I have already done a ton of groundwork to continue the next chapter of London Bus Pal. There’s a lot of improvements coming and I am grateful that I can be back in this great city and use my own app again. I am energised, motivated and ready to go. The list of improvements is long, so please be patient as I slowly work through everything. I’m very confident that the London Bus Pal of six months from now will be a great improvement on what we have already today.
I will write some updates here from time to time (in fact, I’m literally going to write another post as soon as I post this one, so look out for it).