Nominations for the 2022 routeone Awards have opened, heralding the first step towards a return of the coach and bus industry’s foremost recognition of excellence after an enforced three-year break.
The in-person presentation evening will be held on Wednesday 2 November at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, coinciding with premier sector trade show Euro Bus Expo. As ever, this year’s routeone Awards seek to rewards those people and operators that have proved themselves as the best in the business. As part of work that reflects the changes and challenges that the industry has encountered since March 2020, two new categories will debut this year: Above and Beyond, and Outstanding Customer Experience.
Processes for 2022 remain the same as before. Nominations can be made by the supplier side of the industry in 15 of the 16 categories. Once a nomination is received, the person or business concerned will shortly be contacted by routeone Awards organiser and routeone publisher Diversified Communications with an invitation to enter.
Those entries will subsequently go forward to the judging process. 2022’s panel is, as ever, formed of experienced members of the industry, who bring a wide level of knowledge in a variety of disciplines to their collective decisions. In people-based categories, those entrants that are subsequently shortlisted by the judges will each be asked to attend an interview with the panel.
Previous routeone Awards have seen businesses large and small and from across the country, and the people they employ, rewarded for their achievements. However, the organisers and judging panel acknowledge that much of the industry continues to rebuild post-pandemic, and thus financial information – including accounts – will not form part of the 2022 routeone Awards judging process.
Of this year’s new categories, Above and Beyond looks for individuals who, or businesses that, have done exactly that in working to support, promote and advocate both their own organisation and the wider coach and bus industry since 2020, with an eye on efforts to ensure a sustainable future post-pandemic. Oustanding Customer Experience will recognise and reward the individual or team that has put their customers’ experience at the forefront of their thinking and intends to keep it there.
Like the 13 other categories that rely on nominations, members of the industry’s supply chain are encouraged to put forward those who they think are deserving of recognition in these new categories. The others open for nominations are:
- Manager of the Year, small/medium operator (up to 150 vehicles)
- Manager of the Year, large operator (over 150 vehicles)
- Engineer of the Year, small/medium operator (up to 150 vehicles)
- Engineer of the Year, large operator (over 150 vehicles)
- Best use of Technology (up to 150 vehicles)
- Best use of Technology (over 150 vehicles)
- Environment Award
- Rising Star
- Small Coach Operator of the Year (up to 15 coaches and/or minicoaches)
- Medium Coach Operator of the Year (16-50 coaches and/or minicoaches)
- Small/Medium Bus Operator of the Year (up to 150 buses)
- Large Coach Operator of the Year (over 50 coaches and/or minicoaches)
- Large Bus Operator of the Year (over 150 buses).
Criteria for the Rising Star category have been adjusted to remove the previous age cap of 30, in recognition of industry members who may have entered after a career elsewhere, or who only later move to a managerial role. The presentation evening will be rounded off with the Special Award, which is at the judges’ discretion and recognises the winner’s overall contribution to the industry.
Nominations can be made via a dedicated page on the routeone Awards website.
