1 August 2022

Entries for this year’s competion have now closed for all except the two London categories, which close on 26th August.

We’re processing all the entries and will be contacting all the entrants to aknowledge receipt of the entry and asking for any further information if needed.

Following feedback from entrants and judges in the 2021 competition, we’re running the easy entry system again this year for all 23 categories. There is a mixture of new and returning categoires that cover the full range of skills required to plan, promote and deliver high quality bus services to customers.

4 June 2022

UK Bus Awards organisers have paid tribute to the late Barry Moore, who served as the organisation’s first chair. Barry, retired MD of Ipswich Buses, died suddenly at home on 17 May.

He worked with the UK Bus Awards (originally the Bus Industry Awards) for 18 years, serving as its first chair from its foundation in 1995 until 2004, and then as Minutes Secretary to the Management Committee for a further nine years, stepping down in December 2013.

Born in Bournemouth and originally trained as a research chemist, Barry joined the bus industry in the traffic office at Leicester City Transport, before being selected for the Municipal Passenger Transport Association Training Scheme, ultimately returning to Leicester and holding a variety of posts, before being promoted to Traffic Superintendent.

In 1974, he moved to Plymouth as Deputy General Manager, before moving to Ipswich as General Manager five years later. At deregulation in 1986 he was appointed as managing director of the new arm’s length company. He took early retirement in 1995, later becoming a Suffolk County Councillor for four years, also doing research work for a local MP and acting as a campaigner for pressure group Transport 2000 (now Campaign for Better Transport).

Chris Cheek, UK Bus Awards director, who worked with Barry throughout his time with the awards, commented, “Barry was highly instrumental in the early success of the awards, and was a great personal support to me and other members of the team. After such a distinguished career, he was held in high regard throughout the industry, and his calm demeanour, gentle sense of humour and deep knowledge of the business were invaluable.”

“He will be sorely missed,” he added, “and we all send our deepest condolences to his wife Muriel and his family.”

ENDS

Barry Moore on duty as Bus Industry Awards chair in Golden Jubilee year, 2002.

3 June 2022

Details of the 2022 UK Bus Awards have been announced, with plans for the contest to get under way this month. Entries will once more be invited to compete for 23 awards covering the full range of skills required to plan, promote and deliver high quality bus services to customers.

The award categories are a mixture of the familiar and the new. The categories continue to emphasise the importance of the industry’s people, with six awards available from drivers to senior managers. Top Express Operation, previous competed for under the UK Coach Awards banner, has been added to the operating award.

In the technical and professional categories, modifications have been made, recognising the changes and developments that have taken place since the competition was last held in this form in 2019. Two categories are designed to recognise technological change and innovation – one that supports the environment and one that supports improvement in the customer experience. A new Marketing award replaces the previous two in this area, whilst there’s a welcome return for an old favourite, Buses for Pleasure– reflecting the new importance of leisure travel to the industry. The importance of partnerships to deliver bus service improvements is emphasised with the new Partnering for Delivery award, presented in memory of the late Peter Huntley who was a passionate advocate of such joint working throughout his career. Another favourite completes the set –Bus and the Community, again emphasising partnerships but this time mostly with the voluntary sector.

Alan Millar, UK Bus Awards Chairman, said; “We are delighted to be entering the 26th competition, featuring our first in-person event since before the Covid pandemic. We’re really looking forward to receiving and assessing the entries for this year’s competition – and to welcoming everybody to Troxy on 15 November.”

He continued, “The events of the last three years have been really tough, but the industry has responded superbly, carrying essential workers during lockdown, adapting to rapidly changing circumstances and working in partnership with local authorities and others to keep our networks running. We’re really keen to be recognising and rewarding those efforts through the awards and inspiring others to follow the winners’ examples.”

Details of how to enter or nominate will be available shortly via the UK Bus Awards website (www.ukbusawards.org.uk), where details of categories and criteria will also be found. The closing date is Friday 29 July. Judging will take place in August and September, with the shortlist being announced online during October. The Presentation Ceremony will take place at Troxy in East London on Tuesday 15 November 2022.

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

UK Bus Awards was founded in 1996 and is run by an independent, special purpose, not-for-dividend company.

The UK Bus Awards scheme is designed to recognise and reward excellence and good practice in a wide range of disciplines associated with the operation, design and promotion of bus services. Its mission is also to use the inspiration of the winning projects to inspire others to emulate the winning schemes, projects or organisations.

The UK Bus Awards 2022 Categories and Awards

Awards for Industry People

• Engineer of the Year
• Leader of the Year
• Services to the Bus Industry
• Top National Bus Driver: The Chris Moyes Memorial Award
• Unsung Heroes
• Young Manager of the Year
• London Awards
• London Bus Garage of the Year
• Luke Rees-Pulley Award for Top London Bus Driver

Operating Awards

• Top City Operator
• Top Express Coach Operation
• Top Independent Operator
• Top Shire Operator
• Top National Bus Depot
• UK Bus Operator of the Year

Technical & Professional Awards

• Bus and the Community
• Buses for Pleasure
• Culture Change
• Marketing
• “None of the Above”
• Partnering for Delivery: The Peter Huntley Memorial Award
• ROSCO Award for Contribution to Safe Driving
• Supporting the Customer Experience
• Supporting the Environment

April 2022

UK Bus Awards has confirmed that a 2022 competition will take place with an in-person Presentation Ceremony to be held at Troxy in Commercial Road, East London on Tuesday 15th November 2022.

UK Bus Awards, and its parent company Transport Events Group, have announced several changes of personnel following the decision of chair Mark Yexley and commercial director Steve Cresswell to step down from the board of directors.

Alan Millar, Consultant Editor of Buses magazine, has been agreed to be the Chair of UK Bus Awards, whilst retired FirstBus MD Giles Fearnley has accepted the appointment of Chair of Transport Events Group. David Warrilow will act as Sales Consultant and UKBA co-founder Chris Cheek has re-joined the board as a non-executive director.

Paying tribute to his predecessor, Alan said, “The Awards team and the wider industry owe Mark an immense debt of gratitude for all his hard work over the last five years. It will be a hard act to follow, but I am looking forward very much to the challenge of organising our annual contest this year, and to hosting an in-person ceremony for the first time since 2019.”

Mark Yexley said, “I am very grateful for all the help and support I’ve had over those five years from everybody – my fellow directors and the Management Committee, as well as our sponsors, patrons and supporters – and of course all those who work so hard in submitting entries every year. Without you, none of what we achieve could happen.”

Mark has not left the Awards completely, though: he will be remaining as a member of Management Committee and has agreed to act as Convenor of Judges for the 2022 competition. “The last three years in particular have been difficult ones for us and for everybody in the industry,” he added, “and I’m looking forward to helping to judge a bumper crop of entries this year.”

Alan Millar has had a long and distinguished career in transport journalism, starting at Commercial Motor in 1978 and serving as Editor of Buses magazine for over 22 years until taking up his current post as Consultant Editor in April 2021.

Giles Fearnley needs little introduction, having spent a lifetime in the industry. He served as managing director of FirstGroup’s UK Bus Division from 2011 until 2021 after previous experience as co-owner of Blazefield Holdings and Prism Rail. He is currently working as a Senior Advisor with Tracsis Transport Consultancy.

David Warrilow brings long experience of the vehicle supply side of the industry to his new role, having worked for Metro-Cammell Weyman, Volvo, Scania and Mercedes-Benz. Latterly he was a regional manager for the Confederation of Passenger Transport for four years.

Jamie Cash remains on the board as Event Director and is looking forward to working with the new team and launching the 2022 competition soon.

For further information, please contact Jamie Cash on 0330 010 3455.

November 2021

The winners were announced on Tuesday 16th November at 3pm. You can watch the announcement again in the video below.

If you are one of the winners we’ll be in touch to send you a certificate and trophy. You can also download a winner logo that can be used on websites, social media, in print and on vehicles. Click here for the logo pack.

June 2021

The global pandemic has touched everyone, and having not run either the UK Bus Awards or the UK Coach Awards last year, the Management Committee agreed that we should bring both road passenger transport sectors into one award scheme this year. There will not be a glittering presentation ceremony, but we still want to recognise and reward some of the great work going on out there. We have new ‘fast and easy’ entry process and new categories.

If you would like further clarification or information then please do contact us.