It’s celebrations all round at National Express, the company having held its 10th annual Operator Awards event. Peter Jackson details the evening’s events
National Express has once again recognised the efforts of its partner operators, with a special 10th anniversary ceremony held at Coventry’s Windmill Vintage Hotel. Held annually, the 10th running was a black tie event; company executives were on hand to deliver a champagne toast and pay tribute to employees’ hard work.
Alongside the list of awards handed out on the night, a raffle was held which raised £1,500 for charity Transaid – a figure which National Express matched. The charity supports sustainable transport projects in developing countries, helping to boost road safety standards and train drivers (CBW1322).
Prizes for the raffle included a Samsung television, as well as tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert at Wembley Arena. The stand-out prize, though, was surely being given the chance to choose which National Express executive had to go up on stage and sing a karaoke song; this year, it was Head of Contracts Alastair Coxon who was singled out to perform.
Following an earlier event held at Leicestershire-based Rockingham Raceway, Oscar Cotton was crowned Driver of the Year. The Lucketts Travel driver had received nine commendations from passengers in July alone, and managed to out-perform competition from other partner operators to become the overall winner.
Driver of the Year entrants were scrutinised in a series of tests, including a practical assessment in a National Express tri-axle, as well as a number of circuit-based driving challenges – getting the chance to drive an Ariel Atom and Lamborghini, amongst others.
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Besides the award winners pictured opposite, the operator also recognised companies’ ‘Sustained High Achievement,’ with Lucketts Travel and Parks of Hamilton being awarded nine consecutive years and Travelstar European and E Stott & Sons given eight. Golden Spanner Awards were presented to operators who ‘consistently met and exceeded expectations’ in their engineering, with 66% of the network receiving the honour.
Presenting the winners with their awards on stage during the evening, Chris Hardy, National Express Coach Managing Director, said: “We have been highly impressed by the hard work, dedication and excellent standards demonstrated by our partner operators. They have once again exceeded expectations and each award was very well deserved. The National Express Operators Awards was a fantastic evening made all the more special because it was the 10th anniversary, and a good time was had by all. Our operators are the engine room of the business and their success is fundamental to the success of the company.”
Take a look at our gallery of winners:
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