Who would have thought when the COVID-19 pandemic hit us that we would have to cancel two Bus Driver of the Year (BDoY) national competitions?
We had to, but the good news is we are well on target for arranging and running a competition with the national final in Blackpool, based at the Imperial Hotel on Sunday 18 September 2022.
The bus industry and its staff have had challenging times over the past 18 or so months and it is good to see some form of normality returning – though a lot has to be done to encourage passenger growth.
The council of BDoY is conscious of the challenges ahead for the industry and we are hopeful that the reintroduction of the BDoY competition will do something to lift the spirits of all involved.
Competition Secretary Paul MacKay will be writing to all who have expressed an interest early in 2022 giving details of the competition, including entry fee and entry form.
But before that, we will have our annual general meeting online via Zoom at 1830hrs on 21 October. Details of how to log on to the meeting will be on the BDoY website nearer the date.
We, the council members, look forward to old and new supporters joining us in Blackpool over the weekend of 17/18 September 2022 for the 54th National BDoY competition.
Bus operators that have any queries are invited to get in touch with me or any council member whose contact details are on our website at www.bdoy.co.uk
Joe Mackie, OBE, KStJ, FCILT
BDoY Association Chairman