Bus drivers with First Manchester clock up over 100 years of safe driving

Glen Ramsbottom (centre) with (rear from left) Idris Mohammed, Louise Gill, John Heap and Scott Mackenzie

Four bus drivers with First Manchester have been recognised for between them achieving over 100 years of safe driving.

They are among a total of 327 drivers at the company’s Oldham depot to receive awards from the Road Operators Safety Council (ROSCO) for 2021 and the DriveGreen badge scheme run by a telematics specialist, GreenRoad which monitors driver behaviour and vehicle movements in real time.

Heading the list for the longest accident-free record is Glen Ramsbottom, 58, who has been awarded the ROSCO Safe Driving certificate for 36 years behind the steering wheel without an incident and the DriveGreen Silver Fleet Elite badge for consistent driving performance over the past two years.

Glen, from Littleborough, who this year is also celebrating 30 years at the Oldham depot and before was based at Rochdale, said: “Achieving 36 years of safe driving has given me a fantastic sense of achievement. With the massive increase in traffic on the roads over the years that I have been driving it makes this all the more rewarding. 

“Customer safety has always been the most important thing for me and it is a fantastic feeling knowing that customers can get on my bus and feel safe on their journey.”

His achievement is closely followed by Scott Mackenzie, who lives in Oldham, with a 34-year safe driving record recognised by ROSCO. He also received GreenRoad’s Master Fleet Elite accolade, which is given for four consecutive years or more of driving performance scored in the top five per cent rating.

Scott, 54, began driving a month before bus industry deregulation in the 1980s and, like Glen, has witnessed many changes in the industry with on-board technology and low-emission engines. He was working on the day of the Manchester bombing in June 1996 and recalls alerting the police to a suspect holdall left on a luggage rack as he drove the bus in the Ancoats area after a diversion from the city centre and was later dealt with by the bomb squad.

Memorable ‘lost property’ he’s had to hand in includes a trombone belonging to the conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a baby and £1,000 in cash.

Idris Mohammed from Rochdale and Graham Ogden of Oldham, both with 17 years, make up the quartet of drivers with over a century of safe driving marked by ROSCO. A further 10 drivers were honoured with 10-year safety certificates.

Adrian Worsfold, Operations Director at First Manchester, said: “The achievements of these long-serving drivers are remarkable and it is really gratifying to know we have hundreds of others who are performing at the highest level.

“When you take a moment to think of the thousands of miles they and colleagues have driven during their careers and continue to, it shows the skill and professionalism that’s needed when someone climbs into the driver’s cab.

“Their dedication and commitment to customer safety makes the whole team at First Manchester extremely proud that we have such driving prowess throughout the fleet.”