The Oxford Bus Group has celebrated the achievements of its staff at its ‘Really Amazing Awards’ ceremony held at the Ashmolean Museum.

Members of the teams at Oxford Bus Company and its sister companies Thames Travel, Carousel Buses and City Sightseeing Oxford gathered to mark the successes of colleagues.

Staff scooped the coveted awards in nine categories, rewarding long service and exceptional performance by teams and individuals in Oxford Bus Group.

READ AGAIN: Witney gets ready for Coronation celebrations

Colleagues directly nominated the winners, apart from the Long Service Awards winners.

Oxford Bus Company managing director Luke Marion said: “It was fantastic to get together and celebrate the people who have done really amazing work to ensure we consistently deliver a first-class service to our passengers. We also recognised our colleagues who have given a significant number of years’ service to the company.

Oxford Mail: Oxford Bus Company awards night

“There are so many unsung heroes within our group of businesses who do an exceptional job, providing first class public service and they should be very proud of their achievements.

"This was our fifth Really Amazing Awards ceremony and as we continue to recover strongly from the pandemic and prepare for our Oxford city fleet to go electric it’s never been more important that we recognise and reward people who are performing strongly.”

The Long Service Award celebrated a combined 190 years of service by seven colleagues.

Mick Trafford was rewarded for a remarkable 35 years’ service and Gordon Boland for 30 years’ service.

Kamini Patel, City Sightseeing Oxford Travel Shop Supervisor, was awarded the Customer Hero Award.

Kamini, who received 66 customer commendations, was recognised for consistently delivering an exceptional customer experience and going above and beyond for customers. 

Martyn Ballinger of Oxford Bus Company was awarded Engineer of the Year, with his ability to adapt to continued change to on-board electrical systems being highlighted.

READ AGAIN: Man arrested for burglary in rural area 

Oxford Bus Company assistant operations manager Marta Wodzinska scooped the Rising Star award for her rapid growth within the business.

Carousel Buses driver Shamas Kayani, who was the first driver recruited into the business by its previous owner-operators in 2003, received the Lifetime Star award.

Thames Travel bus driver Gary Candler received the Unsung Hero award and the Bicester Village drivers scooped the A Team gong for working together as a great team. Thames Travel and Carousel Buses Operations Manager Pawel Polewski won Manager of the Year, rewarding his exemplary leadership and progression in the business. 

A gold, silver and bronze award for "Star of the Year" for 2022 was awarded, reflecting the high calibre of entries. Carousel Buses driver Paul Harris won bronze, with Oxford Bus Company driving standards officer Gwyn Smith taking silver. Oxford Bus Company driver James Woodwards received the prestigious gold award.

READ AGAIN: Latest on Nuneham Viaduct disruption

The night was hosted by Mr Marion and Martin Dean, Go-Ahead managing director for UK Regional Bus, with comedian Jon Courtenay providing the entertainment.

Help support trusted local news 

Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe 

As a digital subscriber you will get: 

  • Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website 
  • Advert-light access 
  • Reader rewards 
  • Full access to our app 

About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.