Perseverance pays at BDoY National Final

The 58th Bus Driver of the Year National Final on Sunday 6th September was won by David Nairn of First Bus West Yorkshire, at his third consecutive appearance at the Blackpool event.

Crowned UK Bus Driver of the Year 2026, David won the BDoY Trophy and £4,100 prize money. Aged 27, he competed against 103 other finalists who represented 27 different operating companies. He has been a driver based at Leeds Bramley garage for seven years and is allocated to local bus routes.

Clearly emotional after two previous attempts where he came 6th and 5th he instinctively shared the moment with his pet dog Daphne but didn’t hesitate to thank friends and colleagues for their support.

Kathryn Pulham, President of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, presented the awards at a ceremony in The Imperial Hotel where 300 supporters and family joined the competitors to hear the results. Mrs Pulham said: “It is a pleasure to be surrounded by people who understand the importance of the bus driver. Driving is only part of the job because interaction with the passengers is just as important.”

She spoke of the importance of women and girls feeling safe while also reminding the competitors of their achievement: “Actually being here is a major achievement,” she said.

Runner-up by a margin of 90 points was Gavin Justice who won the BDoY Trophy and £2,850.

In third place was Pawel Samowedziuk of Stagecoach Cumbria and Lancashire while fourth place went to Go North East driver Dawid Zochowski. Fifth place driver Robert Harris represented Go South Coast.

Joe Mackie, Chairman of the UK Bus Driver of the Year Association, congratulated all the trophy winners and thanked the dedicated volunteers who make the competition possible and the industry sponsors for their generous financial support.