Council-owned operator won coveted prize at ceremony in London this week, but Stagecoach topped the ‘medal table’ with 12 winners in total

 
Winners on stage at the 2024 UK Bus Awards

 
Nottingham City Transport was named UK Bus Operator at this week’s UK Bus Awards in London. The council-owned company was also named the winner of the Gold Award in the Top City Operator category before fending off competition from another council-owned operator, Reading Buses, and Norfolk-based operator Sanders Coaches to win the top gong in the Grand-Prix competition that pits the winners of the Top City, Top Shire and Top Independent Operator Awards against one another.

The recognition of these three independent bus operators was a timely reminder of the excellence that SME bus operators can and do bring to the bus sector amid fears that the introduction of franchising could see many of them disappear for good.

More than 600 people attended the presentation ceremony, which took place at Troxy, London, on November 26. It was another rewarding afternoon for Stagecoach and its subsidiary companies. Britain’s biggest bus operator once again topped the medal table with 12 Gold, Silver and Bronze winners. The Perth-based group was the gold winner in three of the event’s 20 categories:

  • Richard Burns (Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire) won Engineer of the Year.
  • Let’s go car free (Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, Cumbria Tourism and Avanti West Coast) won Marketing Campaign of the Year.
  • George Sloan (Stagecoach West) won Young Manager of the Year.

Runner-up in the medal table was Go-Ahead Group with a total of 10 medals, including a gold for Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus in the Culture Change category for overhauling their training programmes.

It was also a successful afternoon for RATP Dev, which won five medals. It three gold winners were Safiyyah Saiyed of RATP Dev Transit London, who was named Manager of the Year. RATP Dev Transit London also went home home with the events two London bus awards: London Bus Garage of the Year (Westbourne Park ) and Top London Bus Driver (Donnette Miller).

Northern Ireland’s state-owned public transport operator, Translink, had two gold winners: Ulsterbus driver Ivan Cochrane earned the title of Top National Bus Driver while it use of augmented reality technology to provide remote expert assistance to engineers working on its new fleet of electric buses won the award for Environmental Innovation.

Another notable winner was Portsmouth Buses Partnership won the Partnership for Excellence in recognition of its achievements in improving local bus services and growing bus use.

Meanwhile, Heathrow’s Sustainable Travel Zone was the gold winner in the Going for Growth category.

This year’s award for Lifetime Contribution went to Bill Hiron, whose career in the bus industry spans nearly 40 years. He recently sold his Stephensons bus company to an employee ownership trust but remains chairman.

This event is a testament to the passion, dedication, and ingenuity of those in the bus industry

Commenting on this year’s winners, Alan Millar, chair of the UK Bus Awards, said: “This event is a testament to the passion, dedication, and ingenuity of those in the bus industry. It’s not just about buses; it’s about people, connection, and progress. Every winner and finalist inspires the wider industry to continue striving for excellence.”

A key element of the awards’ credibility remains its rigorous and independent judging process. This includes comprehensive mystery travelling audits, where anonymous customers evaluate service quality against a detailed checklist. This impartial approach ensures that every award reflects genuine excellence.

Miller concluded: “These awards remind us why buses matter. They’re about connection – connecting people to jobs, education, and each other. It’s inspiring to see how the industry continues to do just that while continuing to innovate and excel. Congratulations to all of our very worthy 2024 winners and finalists.”

 
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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