National Express bus driver, Lee Grantham, is 2023’s Bus Driver of the Year (BDoY).

Lee took the title at the Bus Driver of the Year finals in Blackpool over the weekend (2 and 3 September 2023). His second attempt at the competition, the 35-year-old driver takes home the BDoY trophy and £4,100 prize money.

Lee has been a driver based at Acocks Green depot for over 16 years and is allocated to Solihull routes.

“I am on cloud nine to win the Bus Driver of the Year 2023 national finals – it is a dream come true” – Lee Grantham

Lee Grantham said: “I am on cloud nine to win the Bus Driver of the Year 2023 national finals – it is a dream come true. My ambition in life is to deliver 100% all of the time.

“Winning would not have been possible without the time and effort put in by National Express West Midlands and of course the training school who do an amazing job.

“I’m honoured to bring the winning trophy back to the West Midlands and especially my home garage of Acocks Green.”

Runner-up was Gary Black from Lothian Buses, winning a BDoY Trophy and £2,600. In third place was Thomas Gillhooley of Lothian Buses – East Coast Buses who took home a BDoY Trophy and £1,000. Fourth place went to Andy Evered of First Wales and West, while Raj Viswanathan of Go-Ahead London was fifth.

Andrew Jarvis, First Bus Chief Operating Officer, presented the awards at a ceremony in the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool, where 300 supporters and family joined the competitors to hear the results.

A total of 119 competitors from all over the country took part in this year’s final.

Full results

Bus Driver of the Year 2023

• Bus Driver of the Year 2023 (The Bus Driver of the Year Trophy; The Coventry Trophy, Donated by Coventry Road Accident Prevention Council; The Road Operators’ Safety Council Award and £1,500 cheque; The Unite Trophy and £1,500 cheque; and The John Boxall Medallion donated by the UK BDoY Council) – Lee Grantham, National Express
• Runner-up (The Bus Driver of the Year Trophy and £1,500 cheque) – Gary Black, Lothian Buses
• Third Place (The Bus Driver of the Year Trophy and £1,000 cheque) – Thomas Gillhooley, Lothian Buses
• Fourth Place (The Bus Driver of the Year Trophy and £750 cheque) – Andy Evered, First Wales and West
• Fifth Place (The Bus Driver of the Year Trophy and £500 cheque) – Raj Viswanathan, Go-Ahead London
• Best Competitor from a depot in England (The Giles Fearnley Shield and £100 cheque) – Lee Grantham, National Express Bus
• Best Competitor from a depot in Scotland (The Joe Mackie Shield and £100 cheque) – Gary Black, Lothian Buses
• Best Competitor from a depot in Wales (The Donald Macdonald Memorial Shield and £100 cheque) – Michael McDonnell, First Cymru

Other awards

• Best Theory Test Result (The Bus Driver of the Year Trophy and £300 cheque) – Ian Field, Stagecoach East Scotland
• Highest-placed competitor from an ALBUM member (The ALBUM Trophy and £1,000 cheque) – Gary Black, Lothian Buses
• Highest-placed competitor from a company in membership of the Road Operators’ Safety Council (The ROSCO Trophy and £500 cheque) – Raj Viswanathan, Go-Ahead London
• Highest-placed FirstGroup competitor (The FirstGroup Cup and £1,000 cheque) – Andy Evered, First Wales and West
• Second-highest-placed FirstGroup competitor (The FirstGroup Shield and £500 cheque) – David Nairn, First North and West Yorkshire
• Highest-placed Go-Ahead Group competitor (The Go-Ahead Cup and £1,000 cheque) – Raj Viswanathan, Go-Ahead London
• Second-highest-placed Go-Ahead Group competitor (The Go-Ahead Shield and £500 cheque) – Muhammad Harun, Go-Ahead London
• Highest-placed Stagecoach competitor (The Stagecoach Cup and £1,000 cheque) – Robert Lysaght, Stagecoach Manchester
• Second-highest-placed Stagecoach competitor (The Stagecoach Shield and £500 cheque) – Anthony Unsworth, Stagecoach Manchester
• Highest-placed National Express competitor (The National Express Trophy and £1,000 cheque) – Lee Grantham, National Express Bus
• Second-highest-placed National Express competitor (The National Express Trophy and £500 cheque) – Liam Manuell, National Express Bus
• Highest-placed RATP Dev competitor (The RATP Dev Cup and £1,000 cheque) – Bhim Raj Rai, RATP Dev Transit London
• Second-highest-placed RATP Dev competitor (The RATP Dev Shield and £500 cheque) – Harsh Shah, RATP Dev Transit London
• Highest-placed London Buses competitor (The London Buses Cup and £1,000 cheque) – Raj Viswanathan, Go-Ahead London
• Second-highest-placed London Buses competitor (The London Buses Shield and £500 cheque) – Muhammad Harun, Go-Ahead London
• Highest-placed McGill’s competitor (The Andy Ramsey Trophy and £1,000 cheque) – Steven Craig, McGill’s Scotland West
• Second-highest-placed McGill’s competitor (The McGill’s Shield) – John Black, McGill’s Dundee
• The Bryan Constable Award – Best-presented buses in use at the National Final

1. Newly-delivered or up to one-year old – First Potteries, BN72 TUJ
2. One to five years old – First East of England, YN69 XYZ
3. Over five years old – McGill’s Midland Bluebird, BX64 WHZ