The human satnav who can dodge road jams

Published on Wednesday 6 February 2008 09:26

HE'S the human satnav and when it comes to the UK motorway network, Peter Young knows almost every diversion and shortcut.

The 26-year-old has Asperger syndrome – a form of autism that makes the sufferer obsessive about a particular subject.

While some may consider his condition as a weakness, Peter believes it is one of his greatest strengths. Now he is about to launch a bus service, serving Edinburgh holidaymakers, after his obsession with the national road network led him to what he believes is a great business opportunity.

The new service, from Edinburgh bus station, will link the Capital with Manchester Airport.

The Glasgow-based entrep-reneur said: "I was originally diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when I was five, then in my late teens that was changed to Asperger syndrome.

"After I saw a crash at the age of eight in Wales, where someone was quite gruesomely killed, I began looking at and learning routes to various places because I couldn't get the incident out of my head.

"You could call me the human satnav, especially on motorways – I certainly wouldn't get lost, even without a map.

"Some may see it as a weakness, but in my view it enhances your brain. What could be bad about that?"

Mr Young said the daily Edinburgh to Manchester Airport service would allow more holidaymakers to reach destinations not catered for in Scotland.

He chanced on the apparent gap in the market after realising the Edinburgh to north-west England route was relatively poorly served by existing services.

In what is his first business venture, he has spent thousands of pounds of his own money sub-contracting the route to London-based Martins Coaches.

The bus will leave nightly from 10pm and tickets will cost from 20 one way.

Mr Young said: "Because of my autism I've been able to learn about the system of roads across the UK and now I'm putting it to good use.

"It'll mean my drivers can phone me anytime if there are unexpected roadworks and delays, and I can tell them a better route to take.

"The bus will arrive in Manchester each morning at 2am, then go on to London, meaning all passengers will be on time for the flights which leave to the US and the Southern Hemisphere before 10am."

He hopes his Interconection Coaches business will grow from its Edinburgh inception.

"Eventually I want the business to operate all over the UK and Europe, but we have to walk before we can run," he said.

The National Autistic Society of Scotland said it was familiar with Peter's kind of obsessive behaviour, and pointed out that many people with the condition were of above average intelligence.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: "An estimated 50,000 people have autism in Scotland today and it is characterised by difficulties forming social relationships, problems with communication and the development of narrow obsessional interests."