Success for Arriva at UK Bus Awards

Arriva, one of the UK’s leading bus operators, has scooped four top bus industry awards. The operator won the awards for Top National Bus Depot, Bus Marketing Campaign of the Year, London Bus Garage of the Year and the London Service Quality Award at this year's UK Bus Awards.

The company’s Birkenhead depot took the award for Top National Bus Depot for its focus on service delivery and employee communication, which has contributed towards impressive customer and employee survey results. The depot was also recently awarded ‘Investors in People’ status. Judges were particularly impressed with the depot team’s commitment to detail and the importance placed in building good employee relations.

The Bus Marketing Campaign of the Year was scooped by Arriva Yorkshire for ‘The Arriva 110 Takes Off’ campaign. The campaign re-launched the 110 service in Wakefield. In addition to leaflets, posters, sales promotion and extensive PR, the campaign included a YouTube video, a spoof of the Virgin Atlantic ‘still red hot’ advertisement. Judges were impressed with the comprehensive nature of the campaign and its underlying aim at changing perceptions of bus travel.

Arriva London’s Wood Green garage, the capital’s largest, was named London Bus Garage of the Year, following an independent nomination by Transport for London. The high-standards of operational performance demonstrated by Arriva’s Wood Green team, excellent communication and driver quality and vehicle presentation were noted as having contributed towards the award. The judges said the garage ‘performed exceptionally on all fronts and is therefore the deserving winner’. The garage’s work to embrace a ‘greener outlook’ was also noted for having started to operate hybrid buses from the depot six years ago, which is providing valuable feedback and helping development of the technology.

Arriva London’s Mick Gilroy and Alan Ball were also recognised for their drive to ensure Arriva delivers an efficient and reliable service, picking up the London Transport Quality Award. Mick and Alan manage Arriva London’s team of 176 route controllers, which includes an ongoing assessment and development programme to ensure every controller knows what is expected of them. The judges praised their ‘across-the-board drive, and their commitment to sharing best practice and improving communications between drivers and controllers’.

Mike Cooper, managing director for Arriva UK Bus, said: “These awards are a tribute to the hard work and high standards of all our employees in delivering reliable bus services for our customers and other stakeholders.

“The winning awards, together with Arriva’s other successes at this year’s UK Bus Awards, not only recognise some of the innovative ways we are making bus travel more accessible and attractive for our customers, but also the vitally important work which happens behind the scenes.”

Other Arriva successes at this year’s UK Bus awards included:

• Top National Bus Depot – Runner-up: Arriva Yorkshire, Heckmondwike depot
• Top National Bus Driver – Runner-up: John Peck, Arriva the Shires
• Bus Marketing Campaign of the Year – Runner-up: Arriva Midlands, We are Derby
• Innovation Award – Runner-up: Arriva UK Bus, Bus tickets 2 ur mobile
• Winning New Customers – Highly commended: Arriva the Shires and partners
• Top London Bus Driver – Highly commended: Arriva London’s Eusebio Duarte and Mohamed Sadeq Mulla
• London Service Quality Award – Highly commended: Wood Green Control Team, Arriva London