Dedicated Derbyshire bus driver nominated for Stagecoach customer champion award

The ceremony is taking place on February 20 at the Covent Garden Piazza and will be attended by drivers from throughout the UK Stagecoach network.

Andrew said he was “highly honoured” to be selected as a finalist at the Stagecoach UK Awards.

He has been driving local buses for just over 25 years.

An enthusiastic driver who loves talking to his passengers, frequent bus users have probably been driven by Andrew on the Stagecoach Gold X17 service from Chesterfield to Wirksworth via Matlock or Barnsley via Sheffield.

Andrew said he learned from a young age how to treat his passengers by observing other drivers when he rode on the bus as a child.

He said: “Good communication is essential as you can't always understand what some people are going through in life if they look unhappy whilst travelling so it is best to be simply kind to all.”

Last year Andrew was involved with the driving, promoting and advertising the newly introduced Peak Sightseer open top bus service between Chesterfield and Bakewell via Chatsworth.

He said: “My dedication is 100%. I quite often work my days off from driving to ensure that promotional and timetable leaflets are delivered to all possible advertising points throughout the company’s operating area. This proved to be highly successful with the newly introduced Peak Sightseer open top buses from Chesterfield to Bakewell via Chatsworth House which benefited greatly from this dedication to the service.”