A bus builder who started his first shift with Oxford Bus Company only three days after leaving school as a teenager has marked 50 years at the firm.

Nigel Brown left Headington Senior School - now Windmill Primary - in 1974 and 66 hours later, he started his first shift as an apprentice coach builder at the company's former Cowley Road depot.

The 66-year-old from Kennington has since worked on every bus the group operates in and around the county and has completed 12,000 days of work.

His early responsibilities included welding, repairing and laying vinyl floors, and he also hand painted vehicles.

Today, his role includes delivering road-worthy vehicles to Go-Ahead group's 17 national depots.

He said: "I was so keen and just wanted to get on and work.

"I remember walking through the gates at the former Cowley Road depot and we had to find some overalls, then we got started repanelling a bus.

"And that was it - 50 years later I'm still here."

He continued: “I achieved some fair results in my GCSEs so knew getting a job wouldn’t be an issue.

"My father encouraged me to do an apprenticeship, and my cousin worked as an engineer at the time, so joining was a natural fit.

“I never thought back then I’d still be here. A few times I’ve had the opportunity to move on, but you put what’s best for yourself and your family first and Oxford Bus Company has been a great place to work with a fantastic team of people.”

Speaking about his work, he said: "It's an intricate role.

"Repair jobs require a fair amount of welding where we'll have to shape objects to fit the part of the vehicle we're fixing and these days we're working with more steel and fibre glass."

He had the option to retire in March this year, but said it "isn’t quite on my radar yet".

He added: "If you’re a regular user of the county’s bus network, I can almost guarantee the vehicle you’re on I’ve helped repair at some point – not many people can say that.”

Luke Marion, managing director of Oxford Bus Company, said: "A huge congratulations to Nigel for completing 50 years at our Oxford depot, a remarkable achievement.

"Despite more than half-a-century in our team, Nigel remains as enthusiastic in his role as ever which is testament to his professionalism and character.

"The role he and his team provides is essential in keeping the county’s roads moving so everyone can continue with their day-to-day roles.”