A final call for nominations to the 2026 routeone Awards has been issued ahead of that process closing at 1700hrs on Wednesday 1 April and this year’s quest to recognise the best operators and people in coach and bus then moving to the entry stage.
Already received is a broad crop of submissions. Organiser Diversified UK and Europe is now asking industry members to move quickly in putting forward their final names to avoid those parties missing out. Nominations are accepted in the following categories:
-
- Rising Star
- Manager of the Year, small/medium operator (up to 150 vehicles)
- Manager of the Year, large operator (over 150 vehicles)
- Outstanding Customer Experience
- Engineer of the Year, small/medium operator (up to 150 vehicles]
- Engineer of the Year, large operator (over 150 vehicles)
- Coach Tourism Programme of the Year
- Innovation in Coach
- Innovation in Bus
- Sustainability Award
- Small Coach Operator of the Year (up to 15 coaches)
- Medium Coach Operator of the Year (16-40 coaches)
- Small/Medium Bus Operator of the Year (up to 150 buses)
- Large Coach Operator of the Year (over 40 coaches)
- Large Bus Operator of the Year (over 150 buses.
Nominations for 2026 can be made via the routeone Awards website. The process is open to manufacturers, dealers and suppliers, and in the people categories, also by third-party recommendation or from individuals directly if endorsed by the business proprietor, CEO, or Managing Director.
Once the entry period opens, it will run to 26 May. From there, the judging panel will start work to decide upon the winners. That will involve preliminary deliberation to create a shortlist and then two in-person meetings in Birmingham.
The latter of those – on 2 and 3 September – is where finalists in people categories will be invited for interview. Final decisions in each category will be made then.
The presentation evening will take place on Wednesday 4 November at The Vox at Resorts World Birmingham on the NEC campus, with the 2026 Awards sitting alongside the coach and bus industry’s leading trade show Euro Bus Expo on 3-5 November.
In addition to the above categories, the Special Award will be presented to a member of the industry in recognition of their contribution. The winner is decided at the judges’ discretion.
2026 sees introduction of Innovation in Coach and Innovation in Bus categories to recognise operators in each area that display a strong commitment to innovation. Across the board, all categories have gained a strengthened consideration of the participant’s work on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Around 900 guests are expected at the presentation evening, which returns to The Vox after success there in 2024 and 2025. Nomination is the only way to begin a journey that could lead to the operator or person in question being named one of the industry’s best in front of their peers.
For all Awards partnership and sponsorship enquiries, please contact Commercial Manager Martin Laverton via email.
