UKCA organisers have announced that the BBC’s Carol Kirkwood has accepted their invitation to compere the 2017 Presentation Ceremony on 4 May.

Welcoming the news, UKCA Event Director Jamie Cash said, “Our feedback and research from last year demonstrated how highly the industry regards her skills and personality, and Carol always says how much she loves our event. So we’re really looking forward to welcoming her once again.”

Tourist attractions, destinations and local authorities have been reminded to nominate projects that improve life for coach passengers for an award.

In the UK Coach Awards, there is a special category called ‘Making Coaches a Better Choice’. This is designed to recognise and reward projects, big or small, which genuinely improve life for coach operators, coach drivers and their passengers.

Help and support for coach operators considering an entry the UK Coach Awards for 2017 has been stepped up by competition organisers as part of a campaign to increase nominations for this year's competition.

The first move sees a new guide on how operators can ask their customers to nominate them or their staff. This has been published as part of the new Coach Operators Pack for the 2017 Awards.

Driver categories split by type of work

The search is on to find the UK's top Express Coach Driver, Education Services Driver and Coach Touring Driver in UK Coach Awards 2017, as the three new categories replace the Top UK Coach Driver category in the 2017 competition. 

UKCA Chairman Allan Edmondson said: "This change is designed to acknowledge the varying skill sets required by the widely differing types of work undertaken by our coach companies. Driving express services and trying to keep time on Britain's congested motorways is a very different task from driving students to and from college; whilst looking after tour and charter customers on an expensive holiday is different again."

Plans for the 2017 competition for the UK Coach Awards have been given the green light, with an expanded list of categories, a new later entry deadline and other detailed changes. The revised approach follows completion of a three month programme of comprehensive research and consultation which concluded with the second annual UKCA Stakeholders’ Meeting in June.

Transport Events Group has announced that Commercial Director Ian Smith is to step back from his front line sales role at UK Bus Awards and UK Coach Awards. He is handing over his sales responsibilities to Steve Cresswell, who will be Director of Sales.