EXTREME commuter Adham Fisher set himself a tough challenge - riding 33 Oxford Bus Company routes in a day.

Over the years Mr Fisher, 32, from Leicester, has attempted to complete the fastest journeys on 35 transport networks around the globe.

His proudest moment came when in 2013 he and five other British racers smashed the record for riding the entire New York Subway.

And now, following an invitation from Oxford Bus Company, the volunteer commuter today attempted to hop on 33 routes, riding each bus for one stop - but he appears to have fallen just short of his ultimate goal after narrowly missing a bus to Oxford Brookes university campus.

After hot-footing it to catch the 4C in East Oxford, at 1pm, Mr Fisher said: “Why do I do this extreme commuting? I do it because I love it.

“The bus drivers in Oxford have been very polite and the buses all seem very comfortable and on time - we didn’t get stuck in traffic so I must have picked a good day.

“I rarely come across a grumpy bus driver - I think they get a bad press unnecessarily.”

Mr Fisher was given a pass by the bus company so he could travel for free on the buses.

Tomorrow night he will tell Oxford Bus Company drivers about his experiences when he gives a talk at the company’s travel shop in Gloucester Green at 6pm.

Mr Fisher has held quickest times for transport systems including Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, Chicago and Toronto.

He added: “I was invited to lecture at Oxford University’s Transport Studies Unit but then they realised I am a mere passenger instead of an academic statistician and cancelled the talk.

“I then had nothing to do on that day, so I thought I might as well go to Oxford anyway to ride buses.”

Oxford Bus Company managing director Phil Southall said Mr Fisher was ‘the talk of the depot’.

He added: “Adham has done many of the major cities around the world and so Oxford, as an iconic visitor destination, was a logical choice.

“It’s brilliant to see such enthusiasm for bus travel.”

This afternoon, Mr Fisher said he had found it impossible to complete his extreme commute in one day.

He added: “I missed a Brookesbus from the city centre to the Wheatley campus so this will take two days not one.

“You need a lot of energy to do this so I always make sure I pack a couple of Sainsbury’s fruit and nut dark chocolate bars in my rucksack before I set off.

“Occasionally passengers recognise me and talk to me about my journey - I was once on the front page of a paper in Toronto.”

Mr Fisher said he tried to complete extreme commutes several times a year, after spending lots of time looking at map and has spent more than £15,000 on his hobby.

He also said he was impressed that 52 buses in the fleet use hybrid technology, one of the highest percentage of electric-hybrid buses in a bus fleet in the UK.

He added: “Some companies can’t afford the technology for hybrid buses - I’m pleased Oxford Bus Company is leading the way on this.

“Anything they can to to reduce harmful emissions has to be a good thing.”