2013 – A curate’s egg of a year!
Anniversaries
megabus.com celebrated its 10th anniversary
It was a great year for anniversaries. Sheffield, Northampton, Rotherham and trentbarton, or rather their predecessors, all celebrated a century of operation; Dudleys Coaches celebrated 75 years; Perryman’s, Parry’s and Courtney Coaches celebrated 40, the Mobility Roadshow and Distinctive Systems 30, Anderson Coaches and London Hire 25; Scania and Irizar 20 together and megabus.com – another of those Souter ideas they said wouldn’t work, celebrated 10. I’ve probably missed some.
Scania and Irizar celebrated 20 years working together
Awards
Richmond Coaches won the Operator of the Year ( large fleet) at the FPTNI Awards
Coach Driver of the Year Mark Spoors of Stanley Travel
I love Awards I think they give a real lift to the industry and these days we have no shortage of them. Here’s a few reminders of the main ones. The year opened with the annual FPTNI Awards in Northern Ireland. The two top awards for Operator of the Year (large fleet) going to Richmond Coaches of Lisburn and that for the small fleet going to McNulty Yellow Line of Warrenpoint. The contribution to the industry award went posthumously to Danny Monaghan of Belfast Dial-a-Bus.
The UK Coach Rally this year was combined with the UK Coach Awards and held for the first time at Alton Towers. Views differ on the merger and the location. Suffice to say they’re not together in 2014 although the Rally is staying at Alton Towers for what will be its 60th anniversary. Coach of the Year went to Parry’s International’s Neoplan Starliner 2, whilst Coach Driver of the Year was Mark Spoors of Stanley Travel and the Directors Challenge was won by my old friend Peter Bibby (again). In the UK Coach Awards Woods Travel Group were the UK Coach Operator of the Year and Mike Fitzgerald of Anthony’s Travel was the top coach driver.
Bus Driver of the Year Gordon Cutting
Stagecoach Manchester was named Operator of the Year at the UK Bus Awards
Bus Driver of the Year was Gordon Cutting of Stagecoach Oxfordshire.
The brilliant UK Bus Awards, which go from strength to strength, saw top honours of Bus Operator of the Year go to Stagecoach Manchester with Reading Buses in hot pursuit. Stagecoach Manchester were also Top City Operator whilst Reading came out on top in the Shire Operator of the Year. Norfolk Green took the top Independent and Travel DeCourcey’s National Express operation took the Top Express Operation spots. Lifetime Achievement went to another old friend, Peter Newman of Ensign Bus, whilst the Bus and Coach Buyer sponsored award for the Engineer of the Year went to Simon Carlisle of First West Yorkshire.
European Coach of the Year 2014, which is judged by a panel of leading European journalists and which I have had a hand in, in the past, alongside my Editor Stuart Jones, went to Setra’s new ComfortClass 500 and Stuart duly presented the trophy to Daimler Benz at the Kortrijk Show.
Setra launched the new Top Class 500 which went on to become European Coach of the
Year 2014
A personal lifetime achievement award that I felt was richly deserved was that given by PTRC to another long time friend, thoroughly good all round bloke and avid supporter of the disadvantaged as far as bus travel goes, Richard Armitage the Transport Consultant and Chairman of TAS.