All Stars first winner

Ashley Griffiths of Williams Coaches of Brecon is the first winner of a Pride & Joy All Stars award.
The high-flying driver for Williams Coaches was praised by his nominator, Rose Williams, Operations Director at Williams Coaches: “Ashley has a great future ahead of him in the industry. He embraces training opportunities, technological advances and has a willingness to adapt. He is keen to help colleagues in any way possible and he is a great motivator for new recruits. Ashley excels in customer service (receiving many commendations and regular client requests for him to drive) and always goes over and above what is asked of him.”

Jane Phillips, of Pride & Joy Clothing, said the quality of the nominees was very high after launch of the competition, jointly organised with Bus & Coach Buyer: “The judges shortlisting process was a difficult one, but we all agreed our first winner is Ashley. We were delighted by the initial response to the launch of the All Stars competition, a brand-new initiative to celebrate the up-and-coming youngsters in our industry. Thank you to everyone who submitted an application this month. We’re looking forward to hearing about more up-and-coming young people in the bus and coach industry.”

To nominate your All Star, click here

 

The Winner

Name        Ashley Griffiths

Age           25

Position    Coach and tour driver

Company  Williams Coaches

 

Q What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A Coach Driver

Q Why did you join the bus and coach industry and how did you find out about it?

A I am a big football fan and I have always wanted to drive the Cardiff City football team coach – when I was a young boy I used to go away with my father when he drove the supporters.

Q What do you love about your job?

A Travelling, meeting new people and driving nice vehicles

Q What grinds your gears?

A People who sit in the middle lane on the motorway.

Q What is your most annoying work habit?

A Being a coach snob.

Q What’s the best piece of work advice you’ve had?

A Stay single!

Q Do you think the industry does enough to promote itself to younger people and what would you say to someone considering joining?

A No – it’s a great industry and a good way to see new places. There is definitely job satisfaction.

Q How does your perception of the industry relate to what you thought it was like, now you are in it?

A Technology is making it more exciting and easier.

Q Are you a bus and coach passenger yourself?

A Not really – only when I double man! I’d rather drive than be a passenger.

Q Where do you see yourself in ten years?

A Definitely still in the industry and probably carrying a bit more weight.

Q Describe yourself in three words

A Confident. Determined. Approachable.

Q You have a vehicle and you can take five people, famous or otherwise. Who would you take, why and where would you go?

A I would take my kids away to Spain. They haven’t been abroad before so it would be great to take them away with me – working while spending time with kids would be perfect.

 

“It is generally considered that the average age of a coach/bus driver is increasing, and here in Powys nearly 50% of drivers employed on LA contracts are over 60. With this at the forefront of our minds we have worked hard over the past few years to attract young people into the industry and, as a result, we are blessed with a large pool of such employees.

When we first became aware of the All Stars Awards we thought it was a fantastic initiative and Ashley was the obvious candidate for us. We are delighted that he has achieved the recognition he deserves and we are very proud to have him in the Williams team. We will continue in our drive to encourage young applicants with the aim of increasing the number of ‘young stars’ we employ.” – Rose Williams