First Bus is celebrating success after scooping two awards at the prestigious 2018 National Transport Awards.
 
The national bus operator is proud to have been successful in winning the Apprentice Champion Award and Frontline Employee of the Year category.
 
The First Bus Apprenticeship Programme was launched in May 2017 and since then the programme has provided the business with a renewed focus; ensuring it has a national standard for apprenticeships across the UK. Whilst First Aberdeen’s Cameron Dyche scooped the award for Frontline Employee of the year, to land him the double after success in the same category at the Scottish Transport Awards earlier in the year.
 
Cameron is a relatively new driver to First Aberdeen and at the age of just 19 years old, he had only been a driver for two months at the time of a major incident in 2017. Another bus operator’s bus was drifting off the road towards a gas-mains next to a local block of flats and a desperate passenger trapped inside was banging on the window for urgent assistance as the driver was slumped at the wheel and motionless. Cameron set-off to help, boarded the bus and commenced life-saving CPR on the driver until the paramedics arrived and the driver was transported to hospital. 
 
Matthew Gregory, FirstGroup’s Chief Financial Officer and interim Chief Operating Officer, said: “We were delighted to see awards presented to the people who put the safety of our customers front of mind, every single day. Cameron’s actions are an inspiration to all of us. His quick thinking and bravery is simply astounding and we’re delighted that he has achieved the recognition he deserves from both the Scottish Transport Awards and the National Transport Awards.

“It was also pleasing to see First Bus recognised as the industry’s champion of apprenticeships. Bringing new talent into the industry is how we will continue to provide the best service for our customers and apprenticeships are one of the best way ways in which we can deliver this.”