Hampshire bus driver best in Stagecoach South's heats

Bogdan-Paul Dragomir, who has been with Stagecoach South for seven years, improved on last year's fourth-place finish to take first place in the competition.

The event, held at the Portsmouth depot, saw drivers from across the business competing in tests of driving precision, control and roadcraft.

Stagecoach South held its annual Bus Driver of the Year heats at Portsmouth depot, testing drivers’ technical driving skills, precision and roadcraft. (Image: Stagecoach South)

The competition celebrates high professional driving standards, and Dragomir, along with second-placed Chris Erret from the Guildford depot, will now proceed to the national final in Blackpool on Sunday, September 6.

The competition, which began in 1967, is one of the leading driving competitions within the UK bus industry.

Following the heats, drivers, families, councillors and colleagues had the chance to experience various vehicles from the Stagecoach South fleet, including the new Yutong U11DD electric bus and the vintage Southdown 409 DCD open-top bus.

The newest and oldest vehicles in the fleet are separated by 62 years.

The event was attended by members of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Peter Candlish, cabinet member for transport, and Cllr Chris Attwell, cabinet member for central services, who joined drivers, colleagues, and families at the depot.