Daniel Tunnard, Colectivaizeishon Author
Last Updated on September 27, 2026 by Alan Seabright
El Ingles who took all the buses
Daniel Tunnard was born in Sheffield in England, grew-up in nearby Stockport, and first came to Buenos Aires in 1999. A writer and translator, he has written a book about taking all 140 bus routes in Buenos Aires. He lives in Belgrano with his wife and three cats. But most importantly of all, he is the first subject in a series of BuenosTours interviews with interesting expats/locals (of which Daniel is arguably both).
[Photo Credit: Daniel Tunnard]
Why did you first come to Buenos Aires and why did you stay?
I was on holiday in Asunción in Paraguay and I needed to get to Montevideo in Uruguay where I was studying on my year abroad. I spent three nights at the Del Aguila hostel in La Paternal. I met my first wife on the second night there.
What’s your daily routine?
Exactly the same as the middle section of The Beatles’ ‘Day in the Life’, minus the comb.
What is your favorite way to spend a Sunday in Buenos Aires?
I like nothing more than to watch Southampton Football Club lose with Buenos Tours chief A-Jelly while enjoying a pint at the Gibraltar pub (Peru 895) in San Telmo.
Where do you go for a romantic night out in Buenos Aires?
If it’s just me and Alan J, CEO of BuenosTours any number of gentlemen’s clubs along Reconquista street. If I’m with the wife, nothing says romance more than a quiet night in with a wheel of cheese.
[Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bdorfman/108918489//CC BY 2.0]
Do you have any collections?
Yes. I have a collection of bus tickets from every bus line in Buenos Aires.
What is your exercise routine?
When are you going to ask me about my book “Colectivaizeishon, one man’s pointless quest to take all the buses in Buenos Aires?”
What is your favorite book, and why?
I thought you’d never ask. It’s “Colectivaizeishon, one man’s pointless quest to take all the buses in Buenos Aires.” It’s in Spanish. Yes, my first book to be published is one I wrote in my third language. But enough about me. Ask me about my favorite film.
What is your favorite film, and why?
If I had to choose one, I’d have to say the documentary “Colectivaizeishon, one man’s pointless quest to take all the buses in Buenos Aires”. “A Serious Man” and “You’ve Got Mail” are quite good too.
[Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedroalonso/6300964505/ /CC BY 2.0]
What are your favorite websites and blogs?
I’ve been reading a lot of good stuff on themillions.com and newyorker.com/books.
Obviously, I regularly read pickupthefork.com (fantastic local food blog) and quietly and jealously seethe at the popularity of its author.
What are the most played songs in your music collection?
I have often wondered what juicy statistics I would now have at hand if I had gone through with my idea aged 15 of noting down every song and album I ever listened to at home. I think Queen II and Bowie’s Hunky Dorey would be up there. You may like to link to my song for Brian May. Brian May wrote to me to congratulate me on it.
What do you never leave the house without?
A sense of adventure and an elegant timepiece.
What are your earliest memories of Buenos Aires?
I like to think that I was Juan de Garay in a previous life, so I would have to say that my earliest memory of Buenos Aires is the day I founded the bitch. Of course, back in those days we called her “Trinidad”.
What is the most unusual thing you have been asked by a stranger in Buenos Aires?
“What is your exercise routine?”
What is your favorite porteño saying or expression?
Any that can be expressed non-verbally.
What three places or things to do would you recommend to a visitor to the city?
Take the 70 or 46 or 23 bus through a villa. Pour wine from a penguin (pictured). Have sex in a telo. In that order.
[Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nano/2153928042/ /CC BY 2.0]
What are the best souvenirs or gifts to bring home from Buenos Aires?
Polo ponies make an excellent gift for any small child and are not all that expensive. Failing that, a carton of cigarettes and an amusing fridge magnet.
Any insider tips?
The only snooker table in Buenos Aires is to be found in the basement of 36 Billares on Avenida de Mayo. My highest break is 17, red black red black red. I lost that game 43-17. I highly recommend marrying Argentine women. Psychoanalysis is both rewarding and educational. Do consider osobucco when purchasing your next cut of beef. Simmer for a couple of hours in white wine and your usual condiments. La Tablita on Vidal and José Hernandez in Belgrano has a breathtaking selection of cheeses and cured meats. A large second hand Ken Brown record player, purchased on mercadolibre.com, can give many years of musical pleasure and retro kudos. Buy a house in Tigre and grow a beard. Watch the years fly by. Contemplate the intense flight of the humming bird. Have a quiet night in with a wheel of cheese.
From the archive: Daniel’s first Colectivaizeishon interview
Before the book appeared, Buenos Aires Local Tours interviewed Daniel in December 2011 while he was still taking every bus line in the city. This is a shortened version of that earlier conversation, preserved as a snapshot of the project in progress. Route counts, external links and other practical details from 2011 should not be treated as current transport information.
What was Colectivaizeishon at that stage?
Daniel described it as an attempt to take all 141 Buenos Aires bus lines. He was quick to point out that it was not really a book about buses. The buses provided a structure for observations, encounters and jokes about the city. A documentary was also being developed alongside the writing.
What was the longest journey?
The individual city routes were not epic in the way that a long-distance Argentine bus could be, but completing several in a day added up. Daniel recalled spending 11 hours on buses during one early-December session. He also fell asleep on the 36 after getting up at 5am in an unsuccessful attempt to beat the traffic.
Did he have a favorite route?
The 39 from Barracas to Chacarita was an old favorite. Daniel remembered drivers who waited even when the traffic light was green and a sign that wished passengers a happy birthday whether or not it was actually their birthday. It is a wonderfully Buenos Aires reason to prefer one bus over another.
What would his own bus line look like?
He would put it on rails, call it a tram and give it a small bell. Passengers would dress elegantly, children would be entertained by a miniature railway above the seats and everyone would carry a cone of gold dust for emergencies.
And what came next?
Ideas included taking every train in Argentina and building a miniature Buenos Aires set in 1924, complete with a miniature Daniel riding every miniature tram line. The first became a much larger travel proposition. The second was, by his own admission, unlikely to solve his publishing problems.
This archive section was adapted from “Daniel Tunnard Interview: Buses, Gold Dust & Brian May,” first published by Buenos Aires Local Tours on 29 December 2011. It has been shortened and lightly edited for clarity. Broken 2011 blog and documentary links have not been reproduced.
Thank you Daniel! If you are an interesting expat/local in Buenos Aires and would like us to interview you, feel free to get in touch and tell us why.