National Express partners Bennett’s Coaches of Gloucester and Travelstar European of Walsall were the businesses recognised most prominently at the group’s recent National Operators Awards, which recognised the highest standards among those companies over the past 12 months.
Bennett’s was crowned Network Operator of the Year, having picked up a 99.63% audit score for excellence in green credentials, safety and engineering standards. Bennett’s was also recognised as Operator of the Year in the 6-10 vehicles category.
Travelstar European was the most prolific recipient of accolades. It won the Best Fleet, Operator of the Year (11-20 vehicles) and Engineer of the Year categories and also picked up the Go Green Award for its environmental credentials.
In total 11 awards were given out by National Express. During audits, its inspectors scored engineering standards according to a traffic light system. Random vehicle inspections were also undertaken across fleets of coaches to gauge overall cleanliness and quality. Over 30 operators were in attendance at the in-person ceremony along with sponsors.
The winners in all categories were:
- Best Fleet: Travelstar European
- Driving Out Harm Safety Award: E Stott and Sons
- Go Green Award: Travelstar European
- Customer Experience Excellence Award: Lucketts Travel
- Operator of the Year (1-5 vehicles): E Stott and Sons
- Operator of the Year (6-10 vehicles): Bennett’s Coaches
- Operator of the Year (11-20 vehicles): Travelstar European
- Operator of the Year (21 vehicles or more): Edwards Coaches, Bristol
- Driver of the Year: Joey Liversidge, E Stott and Sons
- Engineer of the Year: Asan Fazal (pictured, second from left), Travelstar European
- Network Operator of the Year: Bennett’s Coaches.
Says National Express Service Delivery Director Ed Rickard: “Our partner operators represent our brand every single day, and it is important for us to recognise the hard work and dedication that they put into their businesses to deliver an excellent service for us.
“We are proud to have all of them as partners and we extend hearty congratulations to the winners on a job very well done.”
