diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 8f612c8d..4567f887 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@ sudo: true
 services:
   - docker
 env:
-  - TEST=tests/run-ubuntu RELEASE=devel
-  - TEST=tests/run-ubuntu RELEASE=rolling
-  - TEST=tests/run-ubuntu RELEASE=latest
-  - TEST=tests/run-fedora RELEASE=latest
-  - TEST=tests/run-fedora RELEASE=rawhide
-script: $TEST
+  - IMAGE=ubuntu:devel
+  - IMAGE=ubuntu:rolling
+  - IMAGE=ubuntu:latest
+  - IMAGE=fedora:latest
+  - IMAGE=fedora:rawhide
+script: tests/run $IMAGE
 deploy:
   - provider: releases
     api_key:
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ deploy:
     skip_cleanup: true
     on:
       tags: true
-      condition: "$RELEASE = devel"
+      condition: "$IMAGE = ubuntu:devel"
   - provider: pypi
     user: "Martin.Pitt"
     password:
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@ deploy:
     skip_cleanup: true
     on:
       tags: true
-      condition: "$RELEASE = devel"
+      condition: "$IMAGE = ubuntu:devel"
diff --git a/tests/run b/tests/run
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..830392a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eux
+IMAGE="$1"
+
+if type podman >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    RUNC=podman
+else
+    RUNC="sudo docker"
+fi
+
+$RUNC run --interactive --rm --volume `pwd`:/source --workdir /source "$IMAGE" /bin/sh tests/run-${IMAGE%:*}
diff --git a/tests/run-fedora b/tests/run-fedora
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
index 3a7e791a..0380eecc
--- a/tests/run-fedora
+++ b/tests/run-fedora
@@ -1,18 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-set -eu
-
-if type podman >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    RUNC=podman
-else
-    RUNC="sudo docker"
-fi
-
-$RUNC run --interactive --rm --volume `pwd`:/source fedora:${RELEASE:-latest} /bin/sh << EOF
-set -ex
-SUCCESS=0
-
-trap "if [ \$SUCCESS -eq 0 ] && [ -n '${DEBUG:-}' ]; then echo sleeping indefinitely for debugging; sleep infinity; fi"  EXIT INT QUIT PIPE
-
+set -eux
 # install build dependencies
 # FIXME: s/which/type in tests
 dnf -y install which python3-setuptools python3-nose python3-gobject-base \
@@ -24,11 +11,9 @@ mkdir -p /run/systemd/system
 
 # run build and test as user
 useradd build
-su -s /bin/sh - build << EOG
+su -s /bin/sh - build << EOF
 set -ex
-cp -r /source /tmp
+cp -r $(pwd) /tmp/source
 cd /tmp/source
 python3 setup.py test
-EOG
-SUCCESS=1
 EOF
diff --git a/tests/run-ubuntu b/tests/run-ubuntu
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
index 38cac253..85993ce4
--- a/tests/run-ubuntu
+++ b/tests/run-ubuntu
@@ -1,17 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-set -eu
-
-if type podman >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    RUNC=podman
-else
-    RUNC="sudo docker"
-fi
-
-$RUNC run --interactive --rm --volume `pwd`:/source ${ARCH:-amd64}/ubuntu:${RELEASE:-rolling} /bin/sh << EOF
-set -ex
-SUCCESS=0
-
-trap "if [ \$SUCCESS -eq 0 ] && [ -n '${DEBUG:-}' ]; then echo sleeping indefinitely for debugging; sleep infinity; fi"  EXIT INT QUIT PIPE
+set -eux
 
 # go-faster apt
 echo  'Acquire::Languages "none";' > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/90nolanguages
@@ -30,24 +18,22 @@ mkdir -p /run/systemd/system
 
 # run build and test as user
 useradd build
-su -s /bin/sh - build << EOG
+su -s /bin/sh - build << EOF
 set -ex
-cp -r /source /tmp
+cp -r $(pwd) /tmp/source
 cd /tmp/source
 python3 setup.py test
 python2 setup.py test
 
 # massively parallel test to check for races
-for i in \\\$(seq 100); do
+for i in \$(seq 100); do
     ( PYTHONPATH=. python3 tests/test_api.py TestTemplates || touch /tmp/fail ) &
 done
 wait
 [ ! -e /tmp/fail ]
 
 ./setup.py sdist
-EOG
-
-# copy release tarball to outside
-cp -r /tmp/source/dist /source/
-SUCCESS=1
 EOF
+
+# copy release tarball to outside; for bind mounts only
+[ ! -d /source ] || cp -r /tmp/source/dist /source/