A total of 135 finalists have made the shortlist of this year’s prestigious UK Bus Awards, with the winners set to be announced on November 28
Koli Begum of Go-Ahead London won last year’s Top London Bus Driver award
The UK Bus Awards, the flagship national award scheme, has announced a 135-strong shortlist after another bumper year for entries.
People, projects and bus operators will be competing across 23 categories, with the presentation ceremony taking place on November 28, at Troxy, London.
The independent judging process, a cornerstone of the UK Bus Awards, has included mystery travelling for both driver and operator finalists. Additionally, it featured face-to-face interviews for some of those shortlisted.
Stagecoach, the UK’s biggest bus operator, once again received the highest number of shortlisted entries (46), a third of all finalists. The group has been shortlisted in 17 award categories.
Claire Miles, Stagecoach’s newly-appointed CEO, said: “To have such a substantial amount of shortlisted nominations is a true testament to Stagecoach’s commitment to continued innovation, supporting local communities and fostering a positive working culture.”
The Go-Ahead Group received the second largest number of shortlisted entries (15), followed by Arriva (11).
As always, the winner of the prestigious Bus Operator of the Year award will be selected from the winners of the Top City Operator, Top Independent Operator and Top Shire Operator categories. Last year’s winner was local authority-owned Blackpool Transport.
[They] represent the best of the UK’s bus industry. Their dedication to excellence and innovation is truly commendable
Alan Millar, chair of the UK Bus Awards, congratulated this year’s finalists: “[They] represent the best of the UK’s bus industry. Their dedication to excellence and innovation is truly commendable, and I congratulate each and every one of them on their outstanding achievements. The UK Bus Awards is proud to celebrate their contributions.”
He continued: “We can’t wait to recognise, reward and inspire the bus industry when we reveal the winners at Troxy, London on November 28th.”
The winners of the UK Bus Awards 2023 will be revealed at the prestigious Troxy, London, on Tuesday, November 28th. Tickets for the event are now available at: www.ukbusawards.org.uk
The UK Bus Awards 2023 Shortlist
BUS AND THE COMMUNITY SPONSORED BY HEATHROW
- Arriva NE, Go NE, Nexus and Stagecoach NE – Care Experienced Travel
- OurBus Bartons
- Stagecoach East – Behind the Bus
- Stagecoach West – Gloucestershire Nightstop
- Tower Transit – LibertyBus
- West Yorkshire Bus Alliance – Youth Engagement Programme
BUSES FOR LEISURE
- Go South Coast – Breezers
- Lothian Buses – Royal Highland Show
- Reading Buses – London Line 702 & Flightline 703
- Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire – Lake District services
- Stagecoach Midlands – X46/X47
- Transport for Wales – Sherpa’r Wyddfa
CULTURE CHANGE SPONSORED BY INTUITIVE TALENT SOLUTIONS
- Arriva East and South Midlands – High Wycombe Depot
- Arriva East and South Midlands – Punctuality Sprint
- RATP Dev Transit London – Garage Life Programme
- Stagecoach – Employee Networks
- Stagecoach East – Keep Our People Safe
- Stagecoach London – Fatigue
- Stagecoach London – Women’s Committee
- Stagecoach Services – Creating Connections
- Warrington’s Own Buses – Dallam Lane Depot
ENGINEER OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY IRTE
- Andrew Fisher, Stagecoach East
- Jason Hodgson, RATP Dev Transit London
- Richard Mason, Stagecoach Midlands
- Colin Smith, McGill’s
- Oliver Thong, Stagecoach London
- Neil Wilmin, Uno
ENRICHING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SPONSORED BY TRACSIS
- Nominated by Heathrow – Carlone
- Lothian Buses – Accessibility
- Sanders Coaches – X55
- Stagecoach – Going digital
- Stagecoach Midlands – Simplifying Tickets
- Transdev Blazefield – De-Stressing the Bus
- TrawsCymru T1, Transport for Wales
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION SPONSORED BY CITYSWIFT
- First Bus Scotland – Electrification of Aberdeen and Scotstoun depots
- First York – Electric drivetrain upgrade and solar panels
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority – Hybus
- McGill’s Bus Group – Journey to net zero
- National Express West Midlands and Zenobe – Electric Transportation as a Service
- Stagecoach London – Greener depots
- Stagecoach West Scotland – Service 1
GOING FOR GROWTH SPONSORED BY INTSOL
- FlixBus UK
- Go South Coast – Bluestar
- Grant Palmer – Hi
- Stagecoach East – 100% Club
- Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire – 59
- Transdev Blazefield – The 36
- Transport for Wales – Sherpa’r Wyddfa
LONDON BUS GARAGE OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
- Barking, Stagecoach London
- Croydon, Arriva London
- Lea Interchange, Stagecoach London
- Sutton, Go-Ahead London
- Waterloo, Go-Ahead London
- Willesden Junction, Metroline
LUKE REES-PULLEY AWARD FOR TOP LONDON BUS DRIVER SPONSORED BY THE LUKE REES-PULLEY CHARITABLE TRUST AND TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
- Andy Beckers, Stagecoach London
- Thomas Brade, Arriva London
- Carmen Brigo, RATP Dev Transit London
- Karl Diamond, Go-Ahead London
- Marina Rudko, RATP Dev Transit London
- Suryakant Tank, Metroline
- Heidi Williams, RATP Dev Transit London
- Christopher Wilson, Go-Ahead London
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
- Katie Cringle, Warrington’s Own Buses
- Toby France, Arriva South and East Midlands
- Joe Gilbey, Stagecoach London
- Alan Isherwood, Transdev Blazefield
- Mark Mageean, Stagecoach Manchester
- Dawn Murphy, Stagecoach Yorkshire
- Karishma Patel, Metroline
- Sarah Taylor, Lothian Buses
MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
- Cornwall Council – Believe in Bus
- First Bus Scotland – Free to Explore
- Go North East – YOU are not a bus driver
- National Express West Midlands – Encourage modal shift
- North East Enhanced Partnership – Get ‘round for a pound
- Nottingham City Transport – Student Campaign
- Transdev Blazefield – Get Your Freedom – Get Your Free Bus Pass
- Stagecoach Group – CAV Forth
- Stagecoach West Scotland – Your Ticket to Freedom
PARTNERSHIP FOR EXCELLENCE: THE PETER HUNTLEY MEMORIAL AWARD SPONSORED BY CONFEDERATION OF PASSENGER TRANSPORT UK
- Arriva NE, Go NE, Nexus and Stagecoach NE – 2022 Great North Run
- Leicester City Council with Arriva, Centrebus, First Bus, Kinchbus, Roberts Travel and Stagecoach – Leicester Buses Enhanced Partnership
- Lothian Buses – Operation Unicorn
- Scottish Citylink and Stagecoach with HITRANS – Bikes on Buses
- Stagecoach East Scotland and the University of St Andrews – 75% discount
- Stagecoach Manchester – Parklife festival transport
- West Yorkshire Bus Alliance – Youth Engagement Programme
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
- Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus – Driver recruitment
- Go North East – YOU are not a bus driver
- National Express West Midlands – Driver simulator
- Nottingham City Transport – Recruit Retain
- Reading Buses – Supporting refugees
- Stagecoach East Midlands – Driver recruitment
TOP CITY OPERATOR SPONSORED BY INIT
- Brighton & Hove Buses
- Lothian Buses
- Nottingham City Transport
- Translink
TOP EXPRESS SERVICE
- AIR – Scottish Citylink
- Clyde Flyer 901/906 – McGill’s Bus Group
- Manchester-Newcastle – FlixBus
- X6 Leicester-Coventry – Arriva East and South Midlands
TOP INDEPENDENT OPERATOR
- Grant Palmer
- Sanders Coaches
- Uno
TOP NATIONAL BUS DEPOT SPONSORED BY VOLVO
- Chester, Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire
- Middleton, Stagecoach Manchester
- Milewater Service Centre, Translink
- Milton Keynes, Arriva East and South Midlands
- Northampton, Stagecoach Midlands
- Porth, Stagecoach South Wales
TOP NATIONAL BUS DRIVER: THE CHRIS MOYES MEMORIAL AWARD SPONSORED BY PERSONAL GROUP
- Ben Anderton, Diamond Bus North West
- Brian Brotherston, Belfast Metro
- Freddie Dempsey, Trentbarton
- Clive Egan, Morebus
- Tika Gurung, Nottingham City Transport
- Mariusz Losinski, Transdev Blazefield
TOP SHIRE OPERATOR SPONSORED BY TICKETER
- Go South Coast
- McGill’s Bus Group
- Preston Bus
- Reading Buses
- Stagecoach in South Lancashire
- Stagecoach Midlands
UNSUNG HERO SPONSORED BY BACKHOUSE JONES
- Andy Allen, Arriva East and South Midlands
- Robert and Mandy Bilham, Stagecoach Yorkshire
- Gavin Brackett, RATP Dev Transit London
- Karen Morrison, Abellio London Bus
- Nick Painter, Stagecoach Manchester
- Lee Peters, Go South Coast (Damory)
- Alison Wood, Stagecoach South Wales
YOUNG MANAGER OF THE YEAR
- Christopher Beattie, McGill’s Bus Group
- Dan Graham, Go North East
- Richard Greaves, Stagecoach Manchester
- Amber Olney, Stagecoach East
- Reece Stannard, Stagecoach London
- Lauren Watson, Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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