Bus Driver of the Year moves back two weeks

Although preparations for next year‘s Bus Driver of the Year (BDoY) competition won’t start until January, the date for the 57th National Final is confirmed as Sunday 6th September 2026, two weeks earlier than in 2025.

As usual the competition will be located on Blackpool seafront and headquartered at The Imperial Hotel where the Gala Dinner will also be held. Around 100 of the UK best bus drivers will compete for the coveted Bus Driver of the Year trophy which was won this year by Michael Leech of First North & West Yorkshire.

The competition to find the Bus Driver of the Year (BDoY) has its origins in the first practical skills competition for bus drivers in the UK organised in 1967 for Coventry Corporation drivers with an accident-free record in the previous year. By the mid-1970s the idea of a truly national competition had taken hold. Following a decline in support, the Council radically overhauled the content of the National Final from 1992 so that it more realistically reflected everyday driving conditions with a two-mile route through the streets of Blackpool and along Middle Walk on the resort‘s famous seafront.

Full details of entry and arrangements for the Gala Dinner will be announced in January.