Bangor bus driver Claire Bywater has been short listed for a national award, which could see her crowned as Arriva’s top bus driver in Wales.
Over the past few months, Arriva have been asking for nominations as to who passengers would like to crown as the ‘Arriva Busketeer’ – the bus drivers that always go that extra mile to show you how much they care.
Claire, 48, who is originally from York, now lives in Bangor and has been working for Arriva for 17½ years.
When Claire was asked what she enjoyed the most about being a bus driver, she said: “The camaraderie between my regular passengers and myself, and also I enjoy being outside but not having to endure the worst weather.
As a child, Claire wanted to either be an air hostess or a train driver, as her grandfather had worked for British Rail for 45 years.
Claire who is delighted to be shortlisted for the award, said: “After 30 years in the industry, 27 driving and 17 for Arriva, to win the overall award would be my career’s high point.”
When asked how she though her would describe her, she said: “Chatty, approachable, smiley and sometimes a little bit bonkers.”
Claire’s favourite route to drive is the 5 or 5C Bangor to Llandudno route.
Arriva said they had been sent “wonderful stories about the most helpful, caring and committed individuals from across our dedicated team of drivers, that it has been difficult to whittle them down to the final fantastic few. But after careful consideration, our judges have selected the top driving supremoes for each region from your nominations, and we are now turning the decision back to you to choose who you think should become your region’s number one champ.”
Voting closes on Sunday 4th March. The last five regional winners will then battle it out to become our ultimate Bus Driver of the Year at Arriva’s glamorous ‘Made A Difference’ (M.A.D) Awards gala dinner in April.
