Atheist Bus

In 2008, comedy writer and Humanists UK patron Ariane Sherine wrote an article in The Guardian, in which she questioned the legitimacy of Christian bus ads promising eternal damnation to unbelievers. ‘It seems you wait ages for a bus with an unsettling Bible quote,’ she wrote, ‘then two come along at once’. From this was born the idea of the ‘atheist bus’, and a fundraising campaign ultimately raised over £150,000, funding ads all over the country and spawning imitation across the world. Though the slogan was positive and lighthearted (‘There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life’.), it had a serious message, and a subsequent campaign emphasised the rights of children to grow up without being labelled with a specific religion. The atheist buses remain firmly in the memories of many, and campaigning for kindness, reason, and human rights remains at the heart of Humanists UK’s work today.