Bulwell bus routes operator Nottingham City Transport named best in the UK once again
Bulwell bus routes provider Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has been named UK Bus Operator of the Year for an unprecedented sixth time, reaffirming its position as the leading bus operator in the country.
Following its recent success at the routeone Awards, where NCT was crowned Large Bus Operator of the Year, the company has now picked up more honours at the 2024 UK Bus Awards in London.
It is 20 years since NCT was dirst named UK Bus Operator of the Year in 2004 and the company subsequently picked up the top title in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019 and now 2024.
In addition to the company award, three members of NCT’s staff were also honoured.
Brian Bowater , Natalie Monaghan-Smith was highly commended in the Manager of the Year category and NCT’s currenty bus driver of the year David Townsend was finalist in the Top National Bus Driver category.
David Astill, NCT managing director commented: “Winning UK Bus Operator of the Year is a testament to the dedication of every member of the NCT team, who work tirelessly to provide reliable, safe, and innovative bus services for Greater Nottingham.
"This recognition comes at a time when NCT continues to build on its legacy of sustainable transport, technological advancements, and customer service excellence. I’m immensely proud of the whole team I have the good fortune to lead here at NCT”.
Coun Graham Chapman (Lab), NCT chair, added: This goes to show what we have known for a long while – NCT is sinply the best.
"It is a municipal bus company with service to the people of Nottingham at its core.
"The whole city should be very proud”.
A key element of the awards' credibility remains its rigorous and independent judging process.
This includes comprehensive mystery travelling audits, where anonymous customers evaluate service quality against a detailed checklist of more than 30 criteria.
BBC newsreader Jane Hill, awards host, said, “The winner of this prestigious award is ultimately decided by the mystery travelling scores and this year, NCT’s scores easily surpassed all other operators in the respective categories.
"Our mystery traveller had some great rides and noted some excellent customer service.
"Its customers seem to love NCT too and and 92 per cent of its staff say they are proud to work for the company.”