28 November 2023

The prestigious UK Bus Awards 2023 marked a triumphant return to recognising, rewarding and inspiring innovation in the bus industry today with Go South Coast crowned UK Bus Operator of the Year for the third time, having previously secured the title in 2017 and 2018.

The company also clinched the Top Shire Operator category before fending off formidable contenders Sanders Coaches and Brighton & Hove Buses 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.

Adding to the prestigious occasion, Guy Opperman MP, the UK Government Minister responsible for buses and coaches in England, made one of his first appearances in his new role. He announced Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire as the Gold Award winner in the Buses for Leisure category, highlighting the importance of post-pandemic leisure travel to the industry.

The event once again also showcased outstanding individuals in the industry, with Mariusz Losinski from Harrogate-based bus operator Transdev Blazefield securing the Gold Award in the Top National Bus Driver: The Chris Moyes Memorial Award category. Meanwhile, Marina Rudko received the Gold Award in the Luke Rees-Pulley Award for Top London Bus Driver category and the esteemed Gold Award for a Lifetime Contribution to the Bus Industry was bestowed upon Ticketer co-founder John Clarfelt.

Dawn Murphy of Stagecoach Yorkshire was honoured as Manager of the Year. In this category Transdev Blazefield’s Alan Isherwood took the silver with the bronze award bagged by Mark Mageean from Stagecoach Manchester.

Richard Greaves from Stagecoach Manchester was named Young Manager of the Year ahead of silver award winner Lauren Watson from Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire. The bronze in that category went to Go North East’s Dan Graham.

Lee Peters from Go South Coast emerged as a hero in the Unsung Heroes category, showcasing the often-overlooked contributions that make a significant impact and Stagecoach Manchester’s Middleton depot secured the Gold Award in the Top National Bus Depot category. Meanwhile, Stagecoach London’s Lea Interchange depot was named London Bus Garage of the Year.

The awards ceremony was a celebration of resilience, creativity, and dedication, with Alan Millar, Chair of the UK Bus Awards, expressing his admiration for this year’s cohort of winners.

He said: “In a year that has tested the resilience of our industry, the UK Bus Awards 2023 stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment and brilliance of those who keep the wheels of the bus industry turning. The dedication, innovation, and community spirit reaffirm the pivotal role of the bus in connecting people and communities. From seasoned players to new entrants, we’ve celebrated their successes, innovations, and contributions. Congratulations to all involved!”

The event, held at Troxy London, was a testament to the industry’s commitment to delivering a first-class experience for bus passengers across the UK.

ENDS.

Notes to Editors:

• Images from the ceremony will be available to download from the UK Bus Awards website at www.ukbusawards.org.uk.
• The winner of the UK Bus Operator of the Year was selected from the highest-scoring contestants of the Top City Operator, Top Independent Operator and Top Shire Operator Awards. Our experienced team of independent mystery travellers make anonymous visits to each of these operators and assess service delivery on the ground against a checklist of more than 30 items. These results are then collated and assessed to identify the overall winner.
• The UK Bus Awards has been recognising, rewarding and inspiring since 1996.
• Lifetime Contribution to the Bus Industry Award recognises a significant and sustained contribution to the success of the industry by an individual who has consistently gone beyond the call of normal duty to improve and promote the bus industry for its users or the wider community over a period of years. This award is made by the UKBA Management Committee.
• The awards are independently judged by expert panels, ensuring integrity and transparency.
• The UK Bus Awards is committed to embracing and promoting innovation, inclusion and diversity within the bus industry.

22 June 2023

As the deadline for entries in the 2023 competition approaches, Chris Cheek reflects on their purpose and continued importance in the 2020s.

The entries for the 2023 competition for the UK Bus Awards close on 28th July, so firing the starting gun on the process of registering, judging and in many cases mystery shopping the entries in the 27th annual competition. The winners will be announced on 28th November at Troxy, the East London venue that has been home to the awards since 2017.

After the traumatic events of the last three years, it is right for people to wonder whether celebration is appropriate, and whether as an industry we can afford the time and effort to organize such an event. Not surprisingly, as a co-founder of the scheme back in 1996, my answer would be an unequivocal “yes”.

Like now, the mid 1990s were a time of rapid evolution for the bus industry – including aspects that still have powerful echoes today. Then, a decade on from the upheaval of deregulation and privatisation, change was still in the air: ownership was changing rapidly and there was much talk of new legislation. An exhausted Tory government was facing defeat in an upcoming general election, and there were promises of re-regulation and re-nationalisation led by Labour’s shadow Transport Secretary.

Operators were increasing investment levels, and we stood at the dawn of the low-floor bus revolution. Led by pioneers such as Trent Barton, interest was growing in the power of route branding, and in the transformation that could be achieved by focusing on improving customer service standards.

Locally, operators and local authorities were recognising the need to work together to achieve desired outcomes in bus policy – so giving birth to the first Quality Bus Partnerships.

In the mid-1990s, then, the industry was about developing partnerships, future regulatory change and revolutionising the way we delivered the product. Sound familiar?

Back then, all the team helping to launch the awards were agreed: there was a positive story to be told about the efforts by bus companies and local authorities to improve bus service provision. That story could help to change perceptions of the industry, but it was not being told.

All these years later, we’re still fighting the same uphill battle to change public perceptions, something that is particularly difficult in the wake of the Government’s messaging during Covid and continuing stories about bus cuts and staff shortages. The annual awards scheme can help.

It’s impartially judged and mystery travelled, and can introduce words and concepts not normally associated with buses to the public discussion. Words like quality, winning, excellence, getting gold, and so forth. Being judged to be one of if not the best in the country offers a powerful boost to local brand reputations, to local morale amongst frontline staff and management and ultimately, to perceptions of local buses. I can think of no other way of achieving that so simply and effectively.

So the UK Bus Awards (known as the Bus Industry Awards until 2004) were born. In 1996, six awards were presented before an audience of 200 in the City of London – growing and evolving over the years since. In 2022, we presented over 20 awards to before an audience of over 600.

The Award scheme was set up as an industry-wide initiative with three objectives – which we’ve stuck to ever since:

• to provide an opportunity for positive coverage of bus transport in the media (to recognise)
• to incentivise bus companies, local authorities and industry suppliers to adopt best practice (to reward)
• to provide a forum in which best practice would receive wider coverage within the industry (to inspire).

In that first year, we also laid down several key principles, which remain vital to our mission today:

• Independent ownership by a not-for-profit organisation
• Robust and independent judging by experts in their field
• Mystery shopping visits where appropriate to check service delivery on the ground
• Wide and continuous consultation with industry stakeholders to ensure continued development and relevance.
• Extensive PR activities to support and promote the award winners.

In 2023, the industry has an enormous agenda ahead of it – continued recovery from Covid, the transition to Zero Emission Buses, and – perhaps biggest of all – helping to meet the modal shift targets set by the Carbon Budgets to deliver Net Zero.

It’s not going to be easy – but then it never has been. And at the heart of it, the old challenges about changing public perception of buses remain. We believe that our inclusive business model and our proven track record of promoting victory, excellence and gold medal performance means that UK Bus Awards is still uniquely well placed to make a contribution to the battles that lie ahead.

In short, for all sorts of reasons, “Flying the Flag of Excellence in the UK Bus Industry” is as important today as it ever has been.

15 November 2022

Blackpool Transport is celebrating after winning the coveted UK Bus Operator of the Year Award at the UK Bus Awards in London. The company was also named the winner of the Gold Award in the Top Shire Operator category before fending off competition from Diamond Bus North West and Hertfordshire-based operator Uno 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.

Blackpool’s win followed a pause by the industry’s premier awards scheme over the last two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. People, projects and bus operators came together at Troxy, London to once again compete for the top awards across 22 categories at the scheme’s first in-person presentation ceremony held since 2019.

It was the perfect birthday present for Nottingham City Transport bus driver Jonathan Smallman. He took the gold in the Top National Bus Driver: The Chris Moyes Memorial Award category, marking the fourth time a bus driver from the council-owned bus company has won the gold at a UK Bus Awards ceremony.

In the capital, Go-Ahead London’s Koli Begum enthusiastically took to the stage to take gold in the Luke Rees-Pulley Award for Top London Bus Driver category and there was more good news for the London operator as its Putney garage received a gold in the London Bus Garage of the Year category.

Stagecoach is also celebrating after scooping seven of the top gold awards. Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire’s Barrow depot was named winner of the gold award for Top National Bus Depot, sponsored by Integrated Solutions, and Stagecoach East took the gold in the Supporting the Environment category, sponsored by CitySwift, for its ‘Big Switch Off’ campaign. Meanwhile, Lesley Hester of Stagecoach Manchester proved that not all heroes wear capes when she won the coveted gold in the Unsung Heroes category, sponsored by Backhouse Jones.

In the Young Manager category, Hayley Russell from FlixBus UK took the gold ahead of silver award winner Zachary McAskill from Stagecoach Manchester. The bronze in that category went to talented Stagecoach London engineer Ben Houghton.

Meanwhile, Jim Thorpe, managing director of Uno was the gold winner of the Leader of the Year award. In this category Stagecoach South East boss Joel Mitchell took the silver with the bronze award bagged by Samantha Teggart of Abellio London Bus.

Transdev also had some notable successes, taking golds in the Buses for Pleasure sponsored and Culture Change categories. The Harrogate-based firm also took silver awards in the Marketing, Partnering for Delivery and Supporting the Customer Experience categories.

Alan Millar, Chair of the UK Bus Awards, said: “After a tumultuous couple of years as a result of the pandemic, it’s fantastic to see the dedication, creativity and excellence of the UK bus industry have not diminished. We are particularly pleased to have celebrated the best in the business, from small, family-owned businesses to the very large multinational transport groups, including several who entered the scheme for the very first time.

“We’re honoured to have been able to recognise and celebrate the industry’s successes, achievements, innovations, dedication and sheer brilliance. All those celebrating today should feel proud that they have played their part in helping to deliver a first-class experience for bus passengers across the UK. From everyone at the UK Bus Awards, we would like to say a huge congratulations to everyone involved.”

There’s a full list of results here, and pictures from the ceremony here.

Notes to Editors:

• The winner of the UK Bus Operator of the Year was selected from the highest-scoring contestants of the Top City Operator, Top Independent Operator and Top Shire Operator Awards.
• The UK Bus Awards has been recognising, rewarding and inspiring since 1996.
• The Award for Services to the Bus Industry recognises a significant and sustained contribution to the success of the industry by an individual who has consistently gone beyond the call of normal duty to improve and promote the bus industry for its users or the wider community over a period of years. This award is made by the UKBA Management Committee which will assess the nominee’s length of service and record of achievement.
• The awards are independently judged by expert panels, ensuring integrity and transparency.
• The UK Bus Awards is committed to embracing and promoting innovation, inclusion and diversity within the bus industry.

For further information, please contact Andrew Garnett.

13 October 2022

The UK Bus Awards, the prestigious national award scheme, has announced its 2022 shortlist after another bumper year for entries.

After a pause over the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, people, projects and bus operators will once again be competing for the top awards across 22 categories at an in-person presentation ceremony on 15 November at Troxy, London.

The judging process has included – once again – mystery travelling of the driver and operator finalists and face-to-face interviews with all of those shortlisted for the people awards.

Alan Millar, Chair of the UK Bus Awards, said: “This shortlist of finalists represents the skills and talents of the industry. They range from small, family-owned businesses through to the very large multinational transport groups, including several entering for the first time. It’s pleasing to see our first in-person awards ceremony since 2019 will once again recognise and reward excellence across the board to find the very best in the business.

“There will be some tough competition too. We have been challenged by the sheer strength and creativity of the entries, especially within the people categories, all of which our independent team of judges reported as outstanding.

“We can’t wait to bring the industry together once again to celebrate its successes, achievements, innovations, dedication and sheer brilliance.”

Tickets for the ceremony are available now at www.ukbusawards.org.uk.

The full shortlist can be found here.

Notes to Editors:

• The winner of the Services to the Industry and the prestigious UK Bus Operator of the Year sponsored by Gallagher and QBE Insurance will be announced at the awards ceremony at Troxy, London on 15^th November, 2022.
• The winner of the UK Bus Operator of the Year will be selected from the highest-scoring contestants of the Top City Operator, Top Independent Operator and Top Shire Operator Awards.The UK Bus Awards has been recognising, rewarding and inspiring since 1996.
• The Award for Services to the Bus Industry recognises a significant and sustained contribution to the success of the industry by an individual who has consistently gone beyond the call of normal duty to improve and promote the bus industry for its users or the wider community over a period of years. This award is made by the UKBA Management Committee which will assess the nominee’s length of service and record of achievement.
• The awards are independently judged by expert panels, ensuring integrity and transparency.
• The UK Bus Awards is committed to embracing and promoting innovation, inclusion and diversity within the bus industry.

For further information, please contact Andrew Garnett using the contact form here.