Jonathan Welch reports on the 2023 UK Bus Awards, which recognised the best of the best from across the industry
On Tuesday 28 November, the UK Bus Awards returned to the venue that has been its home since 2017, London’s Troxy, for this year’s glitz and glamour as the industry looks at all the good things that have happened and the positive news stories from the last year. After entries closed at the end of July, judges faced the task of selecting winners in each of the 23 categories, poring over submissions and carrying out ‘mystery shopper’ exercises.
Speaking earlier this year, co-founder Chris Cheek asked an awkward question that many might have posed. “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 organise such an event,” he said. “Not surprisingly, as a co-founder of the scheme back in 1996, my answer would be an unequivocal yes.”
As Chris reminds us, like now, the mid 1990s when the Awards were inaugurated were a time of rapid evolution for the bus industry, and a decade on from the upheaval of deregulation and privatisation, change was still in the air. The low-floor revolution was starting to get into its stride and investment was on the up. Against that background, with all the positive stories emerging in the brave new deregulated world, a need was identified to show what the industry was doing in a way which could help change perceptions of buses.
That still holds true now. We’re not out of the woods, the effects of the pandemic are still being felt in many ways, and there are areas where short term industrial unrest might make passengers question the justification for the awards. But as much as it’s important to recognise the industry’s problems and work towards solutions, it’s also vital to recognise what it has achieved as well, so much of which goes by unnoticed when everything runs as it should.
In 1996, just six awards were presented, a figure which has now grown to over 20, each of which flies the flag for different aspects of the UK’s bus industry.
Going for a hat trick
Go South Coast was crowned UK Bus Operator of the Year for the third time this year, having previously secured the title in 2017 and 2018, clinching the win in the Top Shire Operator category before seeing off competition from Sanders Coaches and Brighton & Hove Buses to win the top overall award, which pits the winners of the Top City, Top Shire and Top Independent Operator Awards against one another.
Recently appointed Buses Minister Guy Opperman MP made one of his first appearances in his new role at the event, presenting the gold award in the Buses for Leisure category to Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, highlighting the importance of post-pandemic leisure travel to the industry. Alongside corporate awards, the event once again also showcased individuals of merit, with Mariusz Losinski from Harrogate-based 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 gold award for Lifetime Contribution to the Bus Industry was bestowed upon Ticketer co-founder John Clarfelt.
Stagecoach Yorkshire’s Dawn Murphy was named Manager of the Year, with silver and bronze awards in the category going to Transdev Blazefield’s Alan Isherwood and Mark Mageean from Stagecoach Manchester respectively. Also from Stagecoach Manchester, Richard Greaves was named Young Manager of the Year, ahead of colleague Lauren Watson from Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire who took the silver award; bronze went to Go North East’s Dan Graham.
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