Emma Lonsdale has done pretty much everything at The Red Bus, except get behind the wheel. It may only be a matter of time for our multi-talented Operations & Events Manager.

A more recent trip out on the buses, taking guests up Arthur’s Seat to raise money for Edinburgh Direct Aid.

How did you get started at The Red Bus?

I saw an ad for a part-time vintage bus conductor towards the end of my first year at the University of Edinburgh. It seemed so different and exciting that I was immediately interested. After my interview with owners Sam and Clunie (held on board a bus, of course) and a trial shift, I couldn’t wait to be back on the bus!

Having moved from a village in the middle of England less than a year before – where I’d done fairly routine jobs such as work at a garden centre throughout my teenage weekends – suddenly I was taking stylish wedding guests to grand city hotels, castles and beautiful rural venues. Or driving down the Royal Mile from City Chambers with newlywed couples on board. Don’t get me wrong, it can be hard work prepping a double-decker bus but it’s lovely to see it ready, sparkling clean, and to decorate it with fresh flowers. Learning all about Edinburgh by listening to the city tours and meeting other vendors is also really enjoyable.

Bon voyage! Emma on her last job before her year abroad, seen below a lovely sign made by owners Sam and Clunie as a leaving surprise.

I continued to work as a conductor for the rest of my time at university, barring a year to study in Taiwan. Even then I actually covered the buses as one of my presentations, telling around 100 other students and teachers about our Routemasters in Mandarin!

Later I worked full-time in accommodation/hotels, including a “key worker” role over Covid, and then as a production manager in a gifting company. I heard about the vacancy in summer 2023 and it was wonderful to be back on board one of the buses for an interview – a feeling of coming full circle.

Since then, I have been Operations and Events Manager. While I still sometimes wear the conductor’s hat (literally!), I mainly work behind the scenes with our lovely clients, team and fellow vendors to ensure that all runs like clockwork on the day.

What are your favourite parts of the role?

Working with all the fabulous couples and the longstanding relationships with corporate clients, wedding planners and other suppliers. Travelling to stunning venues that I would never otherwise get to see, trundling along winding drives to a stately home, surrounded by nature (and sometimes hairy coos!) or perhaps the sea, all experienced from the open platform of an iconic red bus. It’s really not the average day in an office!

If I’m not there, hearing all about it and receiving the photos afterwards! The business is seasonal, although we get our fair share of winter weddings and corporate events. But the start of the year has more administration and planning for the busy months ahead and it’s rewarding to see all the schedules coming together. Summer and autumn are all go!

Emma and Sam at The Red Bus’s 15th birthday celebrations last year.

It’s a wonderful team; we’re a small company and I’ve worked with the owners and some of the drivers on and off for over a decade. It’s so satisfying to welcome our fab conductors and induct them into a role that I really enjoyed as a student.

Emma and previous conductor Bel on board for the staff Christmas party, 2018.

Paul, Emma (left), and Viviane (top-right window) preparing a bus for a wedding.

I am active on the social media side and also recently put together our wedding and corporate brochures, which distil and highlight what we offer. I love receiving a tag notification and getting to see photos of guests enjoying the buses and also the photos from their weddings/events themselves!

What are the most surprising?

How much conducting work has improved my balance – serving drinks or giving out tickets on a moving bus (especially when going around a bend like the one on the Mound) is no easy task for the uninitiated!

The mix of creative work, face-to-face client sessions and operations often seems to surprise others – it’s not all whirling around town and sunny days travelling to East Lothian!

Any memorable hires?

So many little moments – pointing out coos to children on the way to Barnbougle Castle, sunny days at country estates listening to live music wafting over from behind the garden wall while the happy couple had their photos taken on board; we even had a Spice Girls tribute act on the bus once!

Then there was Java Dance – lovingly known among friends as crisp dancing due to the bags of crisps that were popped and sprinkled like confetti during this Fringe show-on-the-move, to be cleaned up with a handheld hoover twice an afternoon by yours truly. I felt very lucky working with incredible dancers who’d travelled all the way from New Zealand/Aotearoa.

Java dancers on board (crisp confetti not pictured)

Ever tempted to learn how to drive them yourself?

Absolutely – the issue is finding time! I hear such wonderful things about Routemasters from our drivers, and while I pride myself on my speedy one-woman jump-starting abilities (fortunately only learned as a contingency) and my knowledge of RM saloon bulbs, isolators and other niche information, I would still very much like to be able to drive one of these lovely vehicles.

Even just starting them (done via knobs and hooks rather than an ignition key) is really quite satisfying as the engine roars into life. It’s such an evocative sound - many of our guests say it takes them right back to their childhoods.

While I may not have grown up in London, Glasgow or the other cities that featured the iconic Routemaster, it’s safe to say that our red buses will always bring me wonderful memories. Here’s to many more to come!