The truth is though, a few people have tried to get on, but the bus only takes contactless or Apple and Android pay. "The 67 is in front of us, and it goes exactly the same way, so we might not get any passengers this journey," Roger explains in the middle of our first leg through Dalston. Only got an Oyster though, and you're screwed. Though, spoiler alert: only four people get on for the whole two hours we ride the bus. He parks at most stops greeting would-be passengers with a "How you doing man?!" and asking them where they need to get to. To say Roger's a guy that suits the Night Rider lifestyle is an understatement. He isn't hired by TfL, and hasn't driven a bus before, but he plays disco off his phone for the whole two hours we ride with him (told you it was like a party bus) and is never short of conversation - apart from the awkward silence when we request Barry Manilow. He's been doing this job for eight weeks, and likes it a lot. Our driver, Roger is in his early 30s and has been a professional driver most of his life. The CM2 is bright green - the Citymapper livery - which we're told gets many a funny look going down Kingsland High Street at 3am. There are bigger Citymapper buses from time to time, but seeing as they've recently changed the timetable from 9pm-5am to 10pm-4am, it seems the smaller ones do just fine to suit demand. Whether the minibus size is a good or a bad thing, will be down to whether you're the kind of drunk that wakes up with a brunch invite from a total stranger you made friends with in the queue for the toilets, or the kind that's remembered only for the vomit you left on someone's shoes. The Night Rider is small and party bus-esque, with room for only 16 passengers. When it does, we're pleased to find out that a journey is only £1 - 50p less than the going London bus fare. An in-app map that lets you track each CM2 along the bus route, but there are no times on the map, so we have to wait for 10 minutes looking a little lost before the bus arrives. It's a bit confusing, as there's no sign on the stop to inform you the CM2 stops here. We get to Highbury & Islington Station at 11.30pm to catch the CM2. But does the self-proclaimed #smartbus match up to its title? If the Night Rider were a haircut it would be a mullet: Business in the front, party in the back.
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