National Express bus driver gets his own bus

Congratulations to Pat Hughes!

After 55 year’s of service to buses in Birmingham the former bus driver has had his own bus named after him.

The surprise honour came as he retired from the company where he has worked since 1966 after he moved to the city from his home country of Ireland.

Pat, now 74, began his career on the buses in Birmingham as a conductor aged just 18.

He passed his driving test aged 21 and went on to drive the no 97 for 40 years with the route travelling from Dale End through Bordesley Green anb Stechford to Chelmsley Wood.

He moved to the training department at National Express aged 61 and has been an integral part of the team - producing thousands of bus route videos with voiceovers to support other drivers to safely learn their routes and transport millions of passengers around the West Midlands.

What else did Pat get up to while he was working on the buses?

During his time as a driver Pat competed in Bus Driver Of The Year competitions for 17 years and won the title five times.

He then continued supporting the events, using his photography skills to capture the momentous occasions for other drivers taking part in the competitions.

Pat plans to continue adding to his photography portfolio while enjoying his retirement, as well as spending quality time with his wife, Jan and family.

What have National Express bosses said about this outstanding achievement?

Mark Heffernan, Operations and Safety Director for National Express UK, said:

“As our longest-serving employee we are delighted to be able to celebrate over a half-century of loyal service from Pat by dedicating one of our buses to him.

“We hope when he sees it out on the road he’ll smile and be reminded of the many fond memories during his time here at National Express.

“Pat has demonstrated excellent dedication and commitment not only to the company but also to the thousands of customers and drivers he’s helped during the course of his career.

“On behalf of everybody at National Express West Midlands I’d like to thank Pat for his tremendous efforts throughout his journey with us and wish him all the best for his well-earned retirement.”

To find out more about career opportunities with National Express, please visit: careers.nationalexpress.com.

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