The bus industry is represented among recipients of the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours, with three members on this year’s list published on 13 June.
Chris Cheek (pictured, below), founder of The Bus Industry Monitor and a respected sector analyst, consultant and economist, has gained an MBE for services to public transport, while First Bus Head of Technical and Training Peter Mambara (pictured, above) receives a British Empire Medal for services to public transport and transport engineering.
Sam Todd, Service Delivery Manager, Coleraine, with Northern Ireland operator Translink completes the sector’s presence on the list with an British Empire Medal for services to public transport.
In addition to work on industry analysis, Mr Cheek is also a published novelist and journalist. He has a long career in the bus industry, having joined it in 1972 as a senior management trainee with the National Bus Company. Since 1987 he has been an independent consultant and journalist, and Managing Director of 2FM Limited.
His work includes collation and analysis of industry data on behalf of the Confederation of Passenger Transport to produce its Cost Monitor reports. Mr Cheek is a regular conference speaker, most recently exploring difficulties around bus industry costs and average speeds at the 2026 ALBUM gathering in Blackpool.
Mr Mambara has enjoyed a career of around 30 years in the bus sector. Originally from Ghana, he began as an engineering apprentice in 1996, driven by a fascination with how vehicles work and how they can be improved.
After qualifying, he spent six years training apprentice engineers before moving to the UK with his family to continue his career. That saw him take on roles with operators including Arriva and Metroline before moving to First Bus. He has a strong reputation for solving complex challenges and sharing his expertise.
First Bus says that Mr Mambara has “played a significant role in improving the reliability, sustainability and performance of bus fleets across the UK while helping to ensure that the industry has the skills it needs for the future.”
He has also been a passionate advocate for skills development in the sector. That saw him lead the development of Institute of the Motor Industry-certified training for people working in electrical environments and establishment of apprenticeship programmes offering Level 4 high voltage training.
Outside work, Mr Mambara is an active member of his catholic community in Essex, serving as a youth advisor for Zimbabwe Catholics in his parish and undertaking responsibilities as safeguarding lead and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.
Speaking about the recognition, he says: “It is a tremendous honour and a privilege to receive a British Empire Medal. When I began my apprenticeship nearly 30 years ago, I could never have imagined receiving recognition like this.
“Engineering has been my life’s work and I have been fortunate to spend my career doing something I genuinely love. I have always believed in sharing knowledge, helping others to develop their skills, and working together to solve problems.
“Throughout my career I have been supported by outstanding colleagues, mentors, friends and family, and I see this honour as recognition of the many people who have been part of that journey.”
