The seven awards covered were presented to staff at Arriva, CT Plus, Stagecoach, Metroline and Go-Ahead, with the TfL Olympic transport team also recognised
Outstanding customer service and actions above and beyond the call of duty were celebrated at the London Bus Awards on Wednesday, July 17.
The awards honour London bus staff who display an outstanding commitment and professionalism. There were seven awards presented, including to a bus driver from Barking who helped a baby who had stopped breathing, a team who provide exceptional engineering performance and the team from TfL who helped keep buses moving during the Games.
Leon Daniels, TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport said: “The London Bus Awards are very special to me as they acknowledge the incredible and often unsung hard work of the thousands of bus drivers and support staff who help keep London moving. London Buses is carrying record numbers of passengers and our staff provide a fabulous service – these awards are celebrating this. This is our way of thanking the drivers and other staff who go above and beyond the call of duty and show true dedication and commitment to their passengers.”
The winners of this year’s London Bus Awards are:
Steve Sobers, Arriva (Barking): Actions above and beyond the call of duty.
Steve was driving his route 491 to North Middlesex Hospital when he noticed a young mother clearly in distress with a young baby in her arms standing outside the medical health centre. Clearly worried, but unsure what was wrong, Steve stopped his bus to see if could help to find the baby had stopped breathing. Quick thinking Steve began administering mouth to mouth to the baby while kicking on the door of the health centre to raise the alarm. Mother and baby are now both well.
Jade Sanfelix, CT Plus (Ash Grove): Big Red Book Award for outstanding customer service.
Jade’s approach to customer service as a driver on route 153 was labelled as both genuinely inspiring and representing the very best in her industry. Jade was praised for working hard to offer a warm and cheery welcome to put passengers at ease. Jade explained: “If you can give great customer service, then you can really change people’s minds about public transport.”
Barking Garage, Stagecoach: Best Vehicle Care.
The team at Barking Garage were awarded for their focus on driving up performance using simple and effective measures, including solid engineering principles and a passion for service delivery. These factors and a spirit to win have seen a significant improvement in engineering performance over the past two years. By improving inspection standards and performing rigorous audits there has been an annual reduction in lost mileage of around 23% and a reduction in vehicle breakdowns of around 13%. These tighter controls also ensured that the garage had 24 months of a perfect pass rate for vehicle MOTs and clear spot checks made by VOSA.
Bus Operations, TfL Games Time Boarding Team: On the road support for TfL staff.
During the London 2012 Games there were a number of events which took place on roads which impacted the bus network to ensure the smooth running of the network, diversions and curtailments were carefully planned. The winning team’s role was imperative as they worked on the ground preparing, erecting and removing diversion boards across London. Their efforts ensured the best possible support to drivers and officials and helped keep London’s buses moving.
The team was co-ordinated by Peter Skilton, with Gary Cooper, Derek Roberts and Glenn Michaels.
Euphema Wallace, Metroline (Cricklewood): Big Red Book award for an Accessibility Champion
Euphema was praised for always being courteous and conscientious with a willingness to help. Due to this professionalism and exceptional levels of customer care shown for her passengers, Euphema was selected prior to the London 2012 Games to be a vehicle instructor and to train her colleagues in the different types of vehicle. Developing best practices on ways to help elderly or disabled passengers, Euphema became a focal point for advice from her colleagues during the Games.
Nadia Nobrega, Go Ahead (Stockwell): Outstanding Newcomer.
When Nadia joined Go- Ahead she had limited knowledge of the transport industry, having previously been employed as a Legal Secretary and a personal assistant. Nadia recieved the award after embracing her work and showing a natural flair for providing excellent customer service and a smile for her passengers every day. Nadia received compliments from members of the public commenting on her warm smile and patience, with independent assessments by TfL rating her driving as comfortable and smooth.
Catford Garage Green Team, Stagecoach: Environmental Champion.
When Engineering Director Darren Roe arrived in 2010 he was determined to increase awareness of environmental issues and established ‘Green Teams’ at nine Stagecoach garages, one of which was at Catford. Some changes were major, such as lighting and heating systems, but some were introduced at a local level, such as improved recycling of waste and tackling noise pollution. Darren signed up to The Big Switch Off initiative for Christmas and New Year in 2011 where all non essential electrical equipment was turned off for the period. He introduced it again during the weekend of the Queen’s Jubilee Weekend celebrations in 2012 and the result at Catford was remarkable, with a 25% reduction in electrical consumption. The team was presented with a financial reward, which they donated to charity. This work at Catford has led to the initiatives being rolled out to the whole of Stagecoach UK.
