Stagecoach is inviting customers across Scotland to celebrate Burns Night in creative style with the launch of Bard on the Bus; a light-hearted poetry competition inspired by the life and legacy of Robert Burns.
Monday, January 19 to Sunday, January 25, the Scotland-only social media competition encourages customers to try their hand at writing a short poem in the spirit of Burns.
Budding bards are invited to choose one of three classic themes drawn from Burns’ own work, love, nature or buses, for the chance to win a Scottish-themed hamper.
The initiative aims to get customers’ creativity flowing while celebrating Scotland’s rich cultural heritage in the lead-up to Burns Night, using humour and imagination to connect people with public transport and the places that shaped the national poet.
Customers can find full details on how to take part on Stagecoach’s social media channels. From modern takes on Auld Lang Syne to tongue-in-cheek verses inspired by daily bus travel, all interpretations are welcome.
Stagecoach customers will need to up their game and come up with iconic poems with titles like "A Bus Driver’s a Bus Driver for A' That" and “Bus O’Shelter.”
As well as celebrating Burns’ poetry, Stagecoach is reminding customers that its bus network makes it easy to visit key Burns landmarks across Scotland, including:
- Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Ayr / Alloway – services 58, 60, 358, 360 or 361, followed by a short walk
- Burns Cottage, Alloway – service 361
- Burns House Museum, Mauchline – services 43, 50, 76, 343 or X76B
- Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries – service X74 from Glasgow
- Burns Monument and The Writers’ Museum, Edinburgh – short walk from Edinburgh Bus Station
- Perth Museum Burns event – short walk from Perth Bus Station
- Robert Burns Statue, Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen – short walk from Aberdeen Bus Station
Customers are encouraged to keep an eye on Stagecoach’s social channels throughout the week for inspiration, entry details and to enjoy celebrating Scotland’s most famous poet, one rhyme and one bus journey at a time.