First Bus driver Michael Leech ready to defend title as best in Britain
- Halifax driver to compete in Bus Driver of the Year
- Yorkshire depots are best-represented in the competition
- 36 drivers from First Bus reach the final, the most of any operator
First Bus driver, Michael Leech is aiming to defend his title at the Bus Driver of the Year finals in September.
Michael, based at the operator’s Halifax depot, beat more than 100 entrants to lift the trophy in Blackpool last year.
He is one of 36 drivers with First Bus who have made it to the finals, the most of any bus operator competing at the event, which is held on 6 September in the famous seaside resort.
To be selected as a finalist, First Bus puts its drivers through a rigorous series of tests including Driver Quality Monitoring where members of its training school ride a bus in service, assessing performance, technical skills and bus manoeuvres arriving and leaving stops, as well as interaction with customers.
Other records of driving performance over the past 12 months including Green Road, a daily score of how well a driver controls speed, braking and turning during a shift, any accidents or near-miss incidents and customer feedback are also evaluated.
Michael will be joined by 10 colleagues from Yorkshire depots, making the county the best-represented First Bus region in the competition.
The drivers and depots are:
- Huddersfield: Roman Iqbal
- Halifax: Michael Leech
- Bradford: Mnyamezeli Makhubelo
- Leeds (Bramley): David Nairn, Claire Flaherty
- Leeds (Hunslet Park): Malgorzata Gorowska
- Sheffield: Craig Haywood, Shelley Hardwick, Gary Denial
- Doncaster: Stuart Yarrow, Adrian Bailey
Craig Pemberton, Driver Training Excellence Manager at First Bus, said: “Michael is a great example of the skilled and dedicated drivers we have across the business. He will be facing tough competition from around the country, including the many colleagues from other depots.
“I wish all of them the best of luck in the finals and hope we can again call one of our drivers the Bus Driver of the Year.”
First Bus is also adding to the prizes among its drivers. The highest placed in the finals will receive £1,000 with the 2nd place awarded £500.
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