THE RISING cost of living made for a bountiful Whitsuntide for the Transport Board yesterday.

Marketing and corporate communications manager Lynda Holder told the DAILY NATION more than 70 buses took the excursioners out.

"This is going to be the biggest scenic ride the Transport Board ever had. We suspect part of the reason for that is everyone is conscious of the increased cost of living, and this would be one of the most economical ways of celebrating Mother's Day.

"You would have the lunch you would have cooked at home anyway," she explained.

Tickets, which went at $15 for adults and $10 for children, were sold out since last Tuesday. Still several people turned up at the Fairchild Street Terminal with bags of goodies hoping for a miracle yesterday.

Holder assured the travelling public that trips on the regular route would not have been disrupted because there was adequate capacity.

"We suspect that we will be able to make sure that everybody enjoys Mother's Day, whether it's here with us, or if they're trying to get somewhere else," she said.

A change to boarding from Independence Square to the Fairchild Street Terminal had some excursioners a little peeved, but they were still anxious to board and be on their way. This change meant the terminal was much more crowded than usual.

Holder said the boarding site was changed because police had previously complained about the line of buses that sometimes stretched from Lower Bay Street to Fairchild Street. She said it would also have blocked access to the taxi stand in Independence Square.

While the huge tour necessitated a larger than usual complement of staff, Holder said it did not call for full capacity. In keeping with the norm for large tours, there were five cycle cops accompanying the buses along the route that touched such popular picnic spots like Cattlewash, Barclays Park, Belleplaine, Farley Hill and Horse Hill.