Oxford Bus Company celebrate staff excellence in really amazing awards night

The Oxford Bus Group celebrated the achievements of its staff at its ‘Really Amazing Awards’ ceremony held at the prestigious Ashmolean Sculpture Gallery.

Members of the teams at Oxford Bus Company and its sister companies, Thames Travel, Carousel Buses and City Sightseeing Oxford, gathered to mark the successes of colleagues.

The highlight of the evening was recognising a remarkable combined long service of 355 years by 12 colleagues. Oxford Bus Company bodybuilder Nigel Brown was rewarded for 50 years’ services, with bus driver Gary Butler and engineer Andy Bowler marking 40 years’ each, while nine others received awards for 25 years’ service.

Staff scooped the coveted awards in nine categories, rewarding service and exceptional performance by teams and individuals in Oxford Bus Group. Colleagues directly nominated the winners, bar the Long Service Awards winners, and these were narrowed down to a shortlist of three in each category in advance of the evening.

Chris Reeves, Oxford Bus Company’s Data, Fares and Ticketing Manager, was awarded the Above and Beyond Award, celebrating his role in integrating Pulhams into the business and launching new on-board ticket machines across all depots.

Airline driver Oseas Nunes received the Customer Hero Award after receiving multiple colleague and customer commendations. He was recognised for consistently delivering exceptional customer experience and going above and beyond.

Dan Reed of Oxford Bus Company was awarded Engineer of the Year, with his calm, can-do attitude being highlighted, while Gareth Jones, Thames Travel Relief Controller, scooped the Rising Star Award for his outstanding commitment and desire to develop his skills.

Jane Stowell, Cash Office Supervisor at the Oxford Bus Group, won the Unsung Hero Award and Matty Davis, Engineering Shift Manager at Oxford Bus Company company was awarded Supervisor of the Year. The City Sightseeing Oxford Travel Shop team scooped the A Team gong for working together as a great team.

A gold, silver and bronze award for Star of the Year for 2023 was awarded, reflecting the high calibre of entries. Donna Colley, bus driver for Oxford Bus Company won bronze, with Airline driver Licinio Rocha taking silver, adding to his previous gold award win for 2020. Fellow Airline driver Jake Saw received the prestigious gold award.

The 25 years’ long service awards were presented to Julian Antonen, Martyn Ballinger, Nunzio Bianchi, Jan France, Paul Hennigan, Wayne McKay, John Perry, Danny Thompson and David Troth.

The night was hosted by Oxford Bus Company Managing Director Luke Marion, Finance Director Neil Butler and Service Delivery Director Paul Hennigan, with comedian Maisie Adam providing the entertainment. The event was sponsored by Alexander Dennis, Zenobe, Wrightbus, Hanover Displays, Mistral, Lazzerini and Ticketer.

Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, said: “It was brilliant to celebrate the people who have done really amazing work to ensure we consistently deliver a first-class service to our passengers. We also recognised our colleagues who have given a significant number of years’ service to the company.

“There are so many unsung heroes within our group of businesses who do an excellent job, providing first class public service, and they should be very proud of their achievements.

“It was a significant year for the Oxford Bus Group, with our record investment in an electric fleet of vehicles and the acquisition of Pulhams, and it’s important to recognise the people behind our strong performance.”

ENDS