A BUS service ferrying tourists from the capital to places of interest in the north is due to start operating later this month.

Named the Love Buses, the aim is to bring the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities closer together, according to the man behind the scheme.

“We are one island but we have been divided and not seen a solution to the Cyprus problem despite more than 30 years of trying,” Leontios Christou told the Mail yesterday.

“I hope that this service will be a means of rapprochement and will provide many interesting things to do and see,” he said.

Buses will pick up people from their hotels at 9am, before heading off to Saint Hilarion, Bellapais and Kyrenia, before returning to Nicosia in the evening. Tickets are priced at €50.

“At each point of the route, passengers will be able to get off the bus and explore the place, at their own leisure,” explained Christou.

Both a Greek and Turkish Cypriot tour guide will be on board to provide historical information to passengers on places of interest.

Christou also hopes to attract Greek Cypriots, “who would like to see parts of their own country that they may not have seen for a very long time, if ever. Our doors are open to everybody.”

He added that this is “the fist bus service of its kind on the island.”

The fleet will eventually consist of six buses, which each having a capacity of 22. They have been painted white, with the company name in blue on the sides. The look is complemented with red hearts.


The inaugural journey will take place on August 22, with MPs, diplomats and church leaders all invited.

“A trip will take place on a daily basis after this, regardless of how many people have booked. If there is only one person on the bus, so be it,” explained Christou.

The 50-year-old added that he hopes the service will gain in reputation through word of mouth.

“If everything goes well, we hope in the future to expand and run a similar service from the north,” he said.



For further information, telephone: 99-761761