The Road Operators Safety Council (ROSCO), the longstanding charity dedicated to promoting safe driving in the UK coach and bus sector, has announced it is taking a fresh strategic direction to go alongside its 70th anniversary celebrations.
The charity has announced changes to its Board, which includes the appointment of John Burch (pictured, left) as Chairperson. Mr Burch succeeds John Miller, who remains on the Board as Director, and brings extensive experience from across the bus industry. He will be supported by Deputy Chair James Carney, who is spearheading efforts to integrate telematics and behaviour-based driver development into the ROSCO safety framework.
The Board also welcomes Stevie Payne, Senior Union Convener at Lothian Buses, who adds frontline operational expertise to the ROSCO team.
In addition to the new leadership appointments ROSCO says it is focused on improving two-way communication between itself and its operator members and drivers. Plans are in place for a renewed website, better accessibility and engagement, and a social media presence via LinkedIn. These efforts will facilitate better collaboration and recognition, the charity says.
Says John Burch, ROSCO Chairperson: “As we mark 70 years of service to the industry, ROSCO is proud to evolve and modernise while staying true to its core mission, supporting and celebrating the safety, dedication and professionalism of the UK’s bus and coach drivers.”
Founded in 1955, ROSCO currently has around 30,000 drivers enrolled in the scheme and hands out 15,000 awards each year.
The anniversary year was marked at September’s Bus Driver of the Year competition in Blackpool, where ROSCO presented its award to Nick Perry (pictured, right) of Go North East. Mr Perry took home the ROSCO trophy and finished second overall in the contest, scoring 1,516 points.
In addition to special commemorative travel cups gives to competitors this year, special 70th anniversary badges will be issued alongside 2025 certificates early next year.
