A self-professed travel 'nerd' has immortalised their favourite Manchester bus by getting it tattooed on their arm.
Elliott Colvin, 25, said they have always had a passion for travel and transport but have a particular 'love' for the 192, which has been a 'staple' for them on their way to work or going to meet loved ones. The 'iconic' route runs between Manchester and Stockport - and Elliott says they spend 'most of their life' on or around the service.
Their love for the service only grew when they met trainspotting partner Wil Saunders, 36, who 'encouraged' Elliott to be more enthusiastic about buses.
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Elliott, from Reddish, Stockport, said: "It's a bit nerdy, to be fair. My partner is a bit of a trainspotter. We've been together about five years and I've always been into transport and travel."
The couple's first flat together was in Longsight, which lies on the 192 route. They later moved up the A6, following the service into Stockport, where they now claim they'll 'never move out of'.
"When I moved to my first flat in Manchester with my partner Wil, I was obsessed that the bus comes every two minutes. I thought it was really cool," Elliott said.
"It's very much a staple part of Stockport and there's an unwritten love for the 192. People make jokes about it but it's the most reliable bus. It's such an icon. It's an iconic thing.
"We've lived in four different areas of Greater Manchester and Stockport and every time it's been the 192 that's been my local bus. It gets me to work, it gets me home."
Elliott said they always enjoyed 'untraditional' tattoos that 'don't necessarily have a deep meaning but they mean something cool to me'. The 25-year old also said they'd had positive responses from others about the tattoo, which they 'didn't expect'. Elliott praised tattoo artist Maisie who they claim was completely on board with their 'unconventional' idea.
"I spend the majority of my time in and around the bus. I just wanted something a bit unique," they explained. "Maisie has done some of my tattoos before. She was straight on board with it.
"She's a junior tattoo artist and I was a bit sceptical about messaging her at first in case she thinks I'm insane, but she's already done some cool things for me before and I really love her work. The fact she's a junior artist and already this good, I really want to support her. She'll just go for it.
"It is unconventional but she's such a young, up and coming tattoo artist."
Maisie, who works for Heatons Tattoo Club in Heaton Moor, Stockport, claims she loves 'weird and wonderful' requests - which can be
different to her usual dot work and stipple shading.
Maisie said: "I have tattooed Elliott multiple times. A lot of Elliott's tattoos tend to be sentimental. They approached me about the 192 one. They had to travel on that bus to see their partner.
"Being a tattooist you get wild and wonderful requests anyway but to get something mundane like a bus is kind of comical."
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