[D]avid Hind has been crowned Cumbria’s best bus driver for the second time, following a competition held in Carlisle.
This week Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire held their heat to see who would be sent to the National Bus Driver of the Year competition in Blackpool in September. Drivers from around Cumbria and North Lancashire gathered in Carlisle to compete against each other in a range of challenges to test their driving skills.
To even get to the Carlisle heat drivers must have a good record and be assessed by a mystery traveller who looked at all aspects of their driving. The heat in Carlisle then tested these skills to the limit with hazard perception and Highway Code assessments, an advanced driving test and a series of challenges assessing the drivers’ knowledge of the width, length and capabilities of their vehicles.
Nine drivers from across Cumbria and North Lancashire took part. Carlisle had the most competitors with four of the nine being from the city. After some intense competition, for the second year running Carlisle depot’s David Hind was crowned champion. In addition to his trophy David also wins a £400 cash prize. He now looks forward to a weekend in Blackpool and the national final on 3rd September 2017.
Stagecoach Cumbria’s Operations Director David Lee-Kong said, “We pride ourselves on providing great service to the people of Cumbria. All those who made it this far are crème de la crème of our 650 strong driving team. I would particularly like to congratulate David on an amazing second win.”
The top three drivers were:
- David Hind (Carlisle) First Place
- Wayne Hold (Lancaster) Second Place
- Kevin George (Kendal) Third Place
Other competitors were Simon Moles (Lancaster), Andrew Stewart (West Cumbria), Jade Ulyart (Carlisle), Brian Kirkwood (Carlisle), Andy Hodges (Carlisle) and Warren Murphy (Kendal).
