A National Express Birmingham bus driver has been named Driver of the Year at the company’s recent Values Awards ceremony.
Stephen Brown, based at the bus operator’s Birmingham Central garage, helped keep a young lady safe after she suffered a serious assault.
Colleagues nominated Stephen for the National Express customer value award for going above and beyond the call of duty. He will now go forward to the National Express Group international final, where he’s up against colleagues from across the globe.
While out in service, Stephen, who joined National Express West Midlands in September 2015, noticed a young lady running out into lanes of oncoming traffic. Worried about her welfare, he pulled into a nearby bus stop and encouraged her to board his bus.
In floods of tears and shaking, she explained to Stephen that she had been trying to run away from a terrifying assault while she had been out on her morning run.
He convinced her to take shelter on his bus and provided reassurance while he continued his service until her partner could get into the city centre to meet her.
She says: “I thought the only way out from the attack was to be hit by a bus, and I was saved by the man who was driving that bus. Stephen seemed genuinely worried about me and I will thank him for the rest of my life.”
Jeet Sanghara, Operations Manager at National Express West Midlands, says: “Stephen is an absolute credit to the driving profession and to our business.”
