Ayr driver shortlisted for UK Bus Awards

• Stagecoach bus driver learns Polish to help customers
• Transport group has 10 finalists at national awards

Stagecoach bus driver Stephen Reed is in the running to be named Top National Bus Driver at the 2014 UK Bus Awards.

Stephen joined Stagecoach in 2006 and works on the X77 Express service which runs between Ayr and Glasgow. This service stops at Prestwick Airport and while working on the X77 Stephen noticed a large increase in the number of Polish customers using the bus service.  Many of the Polish customers using the service were unable to speak any English and found it difficult to ask for a bus ticket.  

A good communicator Stephen wanted to resolve this issue and decided to teach himself Polish.  By learning simple phrases such as; hello, do you speak Polish?, and the price of single and return tickets to Ayr and Glasgow he  has greatly improved customers experience on their bus journey.

This has earned Stephen the nomination for Top National Bus Driver. Winners will be announced at a London awards ceremony to be held on 18th November.

The Perth-based transport group has a total of 10 finalists, including two companies shortlisted for the prestigious title of Britain’s best bus operator. Stagecoach Manchester and Stagecoach North East have been named as finalists in the Top City Operator category which means both are also in the running for the UK Bus Operator of the Year Award.

Three further Stagecoach employees are shortlisted for awards at the event. Shayne Howarth from Stagecoach Yorkshire and Chris Icely from Stagecoach Manchester are finalists in the Unsung Heroes category, while Stagecoach Merseyside employee Tony Cockroft is shortlisted for the Engineer of the Year Award. 

Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director Robert Montgomery said: “It’s great to see so many of our companies and individual employees shortlisted for these awards. Our team of people across the UK works hard every day of the year to provide a high-quality, reliable and good value service for our customers.” 

The full list of Stagecoach finalists is as follows:

• Stagecoach Manchester (Top City Operator)
• Stagecoach North East (Top City Operator)
• Stagecoach, megabusGold.com (Innovation)
• Stagecoach East Midlands (Marketing Initiative of the YearAward)
• Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire (Putting Passengers First)
• Shayne Howarth, Stagecoach Yorkshire (Unsung Heroes Award)
• Chris Icely, Stagecoach Manchester (Unsung Heroes Award)
• Tony Cockcorft, Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire (Engineer of the Year Award)
• Stephen Reed, Stagecoach West Scotland (Top National Bus Driver)
• Romford Garage, Stagecoach London (London Bus Garage of the Year Award)

For further information on Stagecoach UK Bus visit  www.stagecoachbus.com.