Coach operators and their staff in the Chilterns and Thames Valley areas are celebrating after being named as winners in the 2017 UK Coach Awards. The ninth annual awards were presented before an audience of 250 industry movers and shakers in a glittering ceremony at Manchester's Mercure Piccadilly Hotel on the evening of Thursday 4 May. Operators from the region scooped two Gold, two Silver and one Bronze in the nationwide contest.

The two rival companies running services from Oxford to London went head to head in the contest to be named Top Express Coach Operation, but both missed out on the Gold Award which went instead to Stagecoach in East Scotland. Stagecoach in Oxfordshire won Silver for the Oxford Tube, whilst the Oxford Bus Company won the Bronze for its operations to London, Heathrow and Gatwick as well as its work on the National Express route to Luton and Stansted Airports.

There was a Gold Award for both companies, though: Oxford Tube's Gavin Francis was named Top UK Express Coach Driver whilst Oxford Bus Company struck Gold in Making Coaches a Better Choice - the company's investment in new customer facilities at Gloucester Green were highly praised by the judges.

Meanwhile, Aylesbury-based Crusader Holidays went home with two awards - a Silver in the category which looked for the best Coach Travel Programme and a Bronze in the contest to find Briatin's Top Medium Fleet operator (looking at fleets of between 20 and 100).

The awards were hosted and presented by Carol Kirkwood from BBC Breakfast, a great favourite with the coach industry.

Congratulating all the winners, UK Coach Awards chairman John Gilbert said, "Our awards are recognise and reward excellence and good practice at all levels in the industry, amongst all operators, large or small, and in all types of work from express through contracting to coach touring."Awards were presented for high quality operation, and for a range of professional disciplines such marketing, travel programmes and passenger facilities.

The biggest cheers of the night were reserved for the people awards, which provide recognition to a range of different staff categories, including both customer-facing and back office personnel. Some 200 nominations were received for this year's awards from all over the country, including coach customers, operators and attractions.

“Coaching is above all a people business,” explained John Gilbert. “Our customers demand improved quality both in terms of vehicles and staff. We cannot meet these demands without good business organisation and excellent staff, and to retain good staff, we need to recognise and reward them, and this is why I believe this event has a major part to play in recognising leading operators, business innovation, excellent managers, staff and operating crews .”

ENDS