About

Picture of me in ‘Slizg’ skateboarding magazine

Hey, I’m Lukasz, the founder of Hackney Bus.

I’m not your usual bus driver, that’s for sure :-) I love nature, camping, road trips, surfing, skating, rock climbing, and NTS Radio. I got my bus driving licence specifically to make Hackney Bus happen :-)

I created Hackney Bus to help people get out of London, spend time in nature, and experience something simple, real, and fun. Modern life isn’t really designed for the way we’re meant to live. We spend most of our time indoors, sitting, looking at screens, totally disconnected from nature and each other.

Getting outside — even for a day — resets something. It’s simple, but it works. It’s something I’ve been doing my whole life, and I want to share that experience with you.

From a very early age, my mother used to take me on long hikes in the mountains. I remember her unwrapping buttered bread and peeling an egg for me while we sat somewhere along the trail. In my other hand, I was holding the juiciest tomato. Life was slow and simple. The air felt so rich.

At some point, I discovered skateboarding and became obsessed with it. Through skating, I met some of the best friends of my life.

Next chapter

My first car in UK & a trip to Fontainebleau. The roof box was so full of stuff that someone had to lie down flat on it so we could close it.

Then I had knee reconstruction surgery, and my skateboarding dreams were shattered.

My brother picked me up after a hospital check-up and said, “Let’s go rock climbing. You can take the weight off your legs with your arms.” :-)

And so I did — for many years.

I spent years road-tripping with rock climbers. We inspired each other to travel, take risks, and live life fully.

Later, I came to the UK to save money for my first van so I could convert it into a camper. I worked in a pub in the middle of the Peak District. I climbed on the Burbage South boulders during my work breaks :-)

Ten years of cruising around in my old BMW estate later, I bought a van and, shortly after that, my first motorhome.

Trips

My parents relaxing in our temporary mobile home

My parents ‘spotting’ me on a boulder in Albarracin

One day in North Devon, on approach to the trad climbing area , I noticed a surfer in what I later discovered were perfect off shore 5ft waves. That was it.I was hooked.

I have done a surfing and rock climbing trip with my parents.

After 20 years of occasionally visiting them for just a few days each year, I invited them for a one-month road trip. They had never been abroad nor spent time in a motorhome before.We spent the most beautiful time together and we totally re-discovered each other as adult human beings.

My father caught by a broken barrel

Even though I had moments in life when I was a hippie :-), I made sure to have a backup in the form of education. With a Master’s degree in Food Science, I built a professional career (whenever I wasn’t living a hippie life :-) ) and eventually reached senior management level. But along the way, I realised this wasn’t for me.

I want to do something more meaningful with my life than helping corporations chase higher profits.

So: simple trips. Good people. Time outside.

No unnecessary bullshit. Just get out there and have fun! Life is short!