Bucketing with rain, pitch black – but the sun was shining inside as I ventured on the inaugural voyage of the 603, Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage bus route.

It was fantastic. Loads of kids, parents waiting on the Broadway – and the bus turned up only a minute after the 7.30am schedule. There was quite a party atmosphere on the bus and lots of happy people, despite the appalling traffic delays created by a combination of foul weather and road works on Highgate West Hill tailing back to the roundabout at the Gatehouse Pub in Highgate.

I got off in Highgate to go and kick my own children off to school. But I gather the bus was quite behind time on the first run. However, later that day I got a message from a local mother whose boy had caught the bus back in the afternoon from Highgate to Muswell Hill saying, ‘there was a load of South Hampstead and UCS kids on the bus and it was packed’. So I guess it will build and be a successful trial – the challenge being to then get it expanded to a full route which is what everybody wants.

But a great day for all who campaigned over the six years to get this far.