The year is 2011 and towards the end of the year the date of 11-11-11 will be upon us.

For those who were bought up, lived or have worked in Birmingham the Number 11 will have a significance. It is the number of the OUTER CIRCLE BUS route.

If you or anyone you know is old enough to have journeyed to school, or indeed work, in Birmingham in the 1950 or 1960s there’s a pretty good chance that the No 11 Outer Circle bus would have played a part in that journey.

I travelled on the Outer Circle as a child and a teenager to go to school in Bournville, to visit my uncle and aunt in Perry Barr, to play records with my mates in Kings Heath and to meet with my girlfriend (now my wife) in Acocks Green.

I’ve always liked numbers and it came to my notice that there is a numerical coincidence this year. The date of 11-11-11.

So the plan is to go around the Outer Circle on 11-11-11. Better still to start at 11:11 and to use a No 11 bus from my childhood!

I’ve hired the bus and invited a few friends to come along for the ride, but there are over fifty seats on a 1953 double deck Birmingham City Transport bus.

My invitation now is for anyone who is interested to follow this blog, or my tweets http://twitter.com/11_bus. This way your can find out how my plans are progressing, and how to get on board the OUTER CIRCLE BUS on 11-11-11.

Birmingham City Transport Bus no 2976