Three drivers with First Bus in Wales reach finals of Bus Driver of the Year

Three drivers with First Bus in Wales have reached the finals of the Bus Driver of the Year.

They are headed for Blackpool on 6 September, where the drivers will compete against 106 finalists from across the country.

All three drivers are based at the Port Talbot depot and are Paul Wakeman, Simon Rogers and Aaron Wells.

They will also be up against the current title holder, another First Bus driver, Michael Leech, who is based at the operator’s Halifax depot.

To be selected as a finalist, First Bus put its drivers through a rigorous series of tests including Driver Quality Monitoring where members of its training school ride a bus in service, assessing performance, technical skills and bus manoeuvres arriving and leaving stops, as well as interaction with customers.

Other records of driving performance over the past 12 months including Green Road, a daily score of how well a driver controls speed, braking and turning during a shift, any accidents or near-miss incidents and customer feedback are also evaluated.

Craig Pemberton, Driver Training Excellence Manager at First Bus,  said: “Our drivers deliver day in, day out for customers with skill and dedication. They will be facing tough competition from around the country, including the many colleagues from other depots.

“I wish all of them the best of luck in the finals and hope we can again call one of our drivers the Bus Driver of the Year.”

First Bus is also adding to the prizes among its drivers. The highest placed in the finals will receive £1,000 with the 2nd place awarded £500.

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