Essex Cricket Stars Take on the Battle of the Buses Driving Challenge - Watch how they got on!
- Essex Cricket stars take on First Bus' Battle of the Buses driving challenge
- Watch how they got on below!
First Bus East of England was thrilled to host the electrifying Battle of the Buses driving challenge, welcoming star players from Essex Cricket and key figures from the Department for Transport, who stepped into the driver’s seat to experience the precision and expertise required to operate a bus.
The event saw Eva Gray, Cordelia Griffith and Kelly Castle from Essex Cricket’s Women’s team, as well as Matt Critchley and Paul Walter from Essex Cricket’s Men’s team, take on the challenge.
All players showed impressive skill, but it was Eva Gray and Paul Walter who emerged victorious, both displaying remarkable natural ability behind the wheel.
Ministers from the Department for Transport, Lord Peter Hendy and Simon Lightwood MP, also participated in the challenge, gaining a unique, first-hand perspective on the skills and concentration required by First Bus drivers to maintain safety and service reliability.
The Battle of the Buses course, designed by First Bus’s expert training team, put participants to the test with a series of demanding challenges. Some of these included, a tight chicane for mastering control, a controlled roundabout manoeuvre to test awareness, and the ultimate reverse parking challenge to measure precision.
Each participant was scored on safety, accuracy, and control, mirroring the high standards upheld by First Bus drivers daily.
Eva Gray, Essex Women’s Vice-Captain and all-rounder, said: “It was so much fun. Starting with a challenging theory test to jumping in the driver’s seat for the practical test was great.
“I was rooting for Kelly and Cordelia when it was their turn but secretly, I think we all wanted to beat each other to be crowned the best bus driver on the leaderboard. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to drive a bus so I’m really thankful to First Bus.”
Paul Walter, Essex County Cricket Club all-rounder, said: “The Battle of the Buses challenge was a lot of fun. I didn’t realise how tough driving a bus would be, it felt like something out of Top Gear, with the leaderboard, obstacles and the First Bus Stig.
“We’re all naturally competitive and it’s always good to get one over a teammate. I also really enjoyed going head-to-head with Critch [Matt Critchley], and I’m looking forward to seeing how Kelly, Cordelia and Eva got on. Thank you to First Bus for having us down for the day.”
Piers Marlow, Managing Director of First Bus East of England, said: “We were thrilled to welcome players from Essex Cricket and Ministers from the Department for Transport to our Battle of the Buses event. This challenge is a great way to showcase the skill required to drive a bus while also engaging with the wider community. Congratulations to Eva Gray and Paul Walter for their victories, and a big thank you to all participants for taking part.”
For more information on First Bus services, visit www.firstbus.co.uk, follow us on Instagram @FirstBusEast and on Facebook @FirstEssexBus.
Notes to editors
About First Bus
At First Bus, we’re on a mission to grow bus usage – so we’ll get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto the bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, transporting more than 1.5 million passengers a day. Our local bus services serve more than 25% of the population of Great Britain and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
We are a leading operator in the majority of our local areas, including major urban centres such as Glasgow, Bristol and Leeds.
We have proudly launched our First Bus London operation and now operate 83 routes in west and central London from 10 garages serving 180 million passengers annually.
The combined operation now manages a fleet of over 5,750 buses across the UK.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, cementing our position as an employer of choice in the sector.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We will have over 1000 zero-emission buses in operation across our UK fleet by the end of 2025.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company, Lakeside, Ensignbus, Anderson Travel - and the Aircoach network and Matthews in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on our website here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/