Jonathan Welch reports from the 2024 National Final of the Bus Driver of the Year competition in Blackpool
Some people might baulk at the idea of heading back from three weeks on the Mediterranean coast of southern France for a weekend in Blackpool. But as I headed up the autoroutes and motorways on my way north for the national final of the 2024 Bus Driver of the Year competition, I was able to look forward to an event that I’ve been associated with for over a decade now, initially as a competitor and later through CBW. It’s often said that the industry is really about the people, and this is one weekend which really proves that.
For me personally, it’s a chance to catch up with the BDoY team who have become good friends over the years, and for those taking part, as well as their supporters and the volunteers from across the industry who help make the event happen, it’s a chance to get to know each other outside the usual work environment, to relax and unwind at the Saturday evening gala dinner, before the competitors show off what they can do in Sunday morning’s driving and knowledge tests.
Despite hopes, the weather was somewhat overcast, though selfishly that meant easier photography without the sun directly behind the buses as they made their way through the series of driving tests laid out along the promenade; this year’s route followed the familiar format of off-road skills tests heading north, followed by on-road driving back to the start/finish point, which was also one of three places where supporters and members of the public could board and alight.
Some competitors had been here before. For others, it was a new experience. For everyone, the tension and the nerves were high, each of the almost 100 entrants knowing that although they’d already achieved a lot to be here (a worthy accolade in itself), they were just a few simple (though not easy) driving tests and theory questions away from going home with what was potentially a rather big cheque in their pocket.
For the first time this year (the competition’s 56th), there were two electric buses in use, both from First Bus subsidiaries, and three vehicles also had camera mirror systems fitted in place of conventional mirrors, reflecting the changing face of the industry, though the key tenet of the BDoY philosophy of safety remains core to the competition.
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