First Bus driver finishes first to be named best in Britain
- Halifax driver wins national title
- Michael Leech beats 100 drivers from across the country
He’s the best bus driver in Britain.
Michael Leech, who works for First Bus in Yorkshire, was crowned UK Bus Driver of the Year at the national finals held in Blackpool over the weekend (Sunday 14 September).
Michael beat 100 drivers from 27 bus operators around the country to win the coveted title.
His success means he finished top among thousands of bus drivers who took part in regional heats to be selected for the finals.
He’s been a driver with First Bus for 26 years and is based at the operator’s Halifax depot.
Michael, 47, admits he was “stunned” when his name was read out. He said: “It’s still not really sunk in that I’ve won. I thought I’d made a couple of mistakes and some of the theory test was a bit obscure.”
His wife Karen and daughter Katie were at the ceremony to share in the surprise. Michael said: “I did get a sharp nudge on both sides to get out of my seat to collect the trophy.”
He said he didn’t sleep much on the first night after arriving home in Sowerby Bridge. “I was bouncing off the walls and my phone was constantly pinging with notifications from friends and colleagues.”
Michael has twice finished runner-up in the competition.
He was among six First Bus drivers from Yorkshire to reach the finals. Drivers were judged in series of practical manoeuvres along a 3-mile course culminating in a trip down the Promenade at Blackpool, where they were required to pull in at stops within 2-4 inches of the kerb with eagle-eyed assessors marking accuracy.
Michael didn’t only win the overall title. He also scooped honours for the highest-placed driver from a depot in England and the best performer for First Bus, walking away with over £4,000 in prize money.
Ends
Notes to editors
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators, carrying more than 1.5 million passengers every day. Its local bus services serve over 25% of the population of Great Britain and more than half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
The company is a leading operator in the majority of its local areas, including major urban centres such as Glasgow, Leeds and Bristol. In London, First Bus operates 83 routes in west and central areas from 10 garages, serving 180 million passengers annually. The combined operation manages a fleet of more than 5,750 buses across the UK.
First Bus is the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, reflecting its commitment to putting people and customers at the heart of its operations.
The company is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035 and will have more than 1,500 zero-emission buses in service by the end of 2026.
As part of its investment in zero-emission infrastructure, First Bus is converting depots across the UK to accommodate electric buses. Through First Charge, its commercial electric vehicle charging service, the company opens up this high-powered depot charging infrastructure to other fleet operators as part of one of the UK’s largest networks of ultra-rapid charging superhubs, helping businesses progress their decarbonisation journeys.
First Bus also operates 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 here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/