2023 Finalists

Here are the Finalists in the UK Bus Awards 2023. Congratulations to all the companies, organisations and individuals on the list. The winners will be announced at the presentation ceremony in London on Tuesday 28th November. Click here for more details.

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 Recruitment

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 TfL

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 sponsored by Kemp Recruitment

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 sponsored by Euro Bus Expo 2024

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 sponsored by Coach & Bus Week

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 sponsored by Buses 

Grant Palmer
Sanders Coaches
Uno

Top National Bus Depot sponsored by Volvo

Chester, Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire MT
Middleton, Stagecoach Manchester MT
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 Passenger Transport

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

UK Bus Operator of the Year sponsored by Gallagher and Allianz

The finalists in this category will be the winners of the Top City, Independent and Shire Operator categories, which will be announced on 28th November.

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 sponsored by Young Bus Professionals

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