Warrington’s Own among Bus Centre of Excellence Awards winners

Warrington’s Own Buses and Warrington Borough Council received the Initiative Award at the Bus Centre of Excellence Awards in Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, on 4 June.

Paul Walker, Head of Passenger Transport at Portsmouth City Council, won the Person of the Year accolade at the awards, which were held in conjunction with the CIHT Awards.

The presentations were made by Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood and the evening was hosted by guest presenter Louise Minchin.

Warrington’s award was in recognition of the council’s investment in local bus services. Its work included maintaining a single fare cap of £2 and a £1 ticket for under-22s, and delivery of a new bus depot and battery-electric fleet.

Managing Director of Warrington’s Own Buses, Ben Wakerley, says: “This award win is a reflection of the partnership working between the council and Warrington’s Own Buses, and it’s something we should all be proud of.

“By keeping bus fares low and improving our services, we hope to encourage even more passengers onto our buses.

“It is also a credit to the teams at both organisations who have delivered the improvements to buses in Warrington and Cheshire”.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Hans Mundry, adds: “Winning this prestigious award is acknowledgement by the industry that it really is ‘better by bus’ in Warrington, and that we’re making good progress with our bus services.

“Most importantly, the award is recognition that our services are making a positive difference for our passengers and residents. There’s always more to do, but this award win shows that we’re continuing to head in the right direction.”

Mr Walker was recognised for his work overseeing a £48 million bus strategy, which has included a successful bus priority scheme.

Meanwhile, in the CIHT Awards, Brighton and Hove Buses won in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category as Transport for West Midlands’ passenger incentive programme was “highly commended”.

Stagecoach East’s Buses and Businesses Against Abuse campaign won the AtkinsRéalis Collaboration award. The partnership with Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Cambridge and Peterborough Rape Crisis Centre was launched last year in a bid to establish buses as a “safe spaces” for those in fear of abuse.

Warrington’s Own Buses and Warrington Borough Council were also highly commended in the Winvic Sustainability category.

Meanwhile, for the Initiative Award, Buses and Businesses Against Abuse was highly commended. Also receiving this honour was the Portsmouth Bus Partnership – Portsmouth City Council, ITP, Stagecoach South and First Bus South.