How to Enter

During January each year, bus companies will receive details of the forthcoming competition, including dates and entry fees, directing them to the BDoY website to register for the competition.

If you haven't received an email from us with details of the competition, or you are new to the competition, please contact our Competition Secretary, Paul Mackay on competition@bdoy.co.uk or 07827 936787.

Each year we also produce a poster that can be put up on staff noticeboards and used to promote the National Final. The current poster can be downloaded here.

At this stage, operators need only decide the number of drivers they wish to enter for the National Final in order to return the application form and the entry fee. Companies will then receive an information pack to enable them to proceed with selection of their best drivers. In view of the high demand for places in the Final, which are limited, companies are urged not to delay in submitting their applications, which must in any event be received by the Competition Secretary no later than the end of April.

Eligibility

Drivers of local bus and inter-urban express services such as National Express and Green Line are eligible to compete if they have been employed as a bus driver, (not necessarily by the same company,) since 1st September of the year preceding the competition, and during the same period have not been involved in an accident for which they are in any way at fault, have not been absent from work for any period exceeding fourteen weeks continuous duration, and have no live endorsements on their licences. BDoY seeks to reward full-time drivers who exercise their skills throughout the year, and it is therefore also a requirement that a driver works the equivalent of at least three full shifts per week (i.e. 24 hours) in order to qualify for entry to the competition.

Company Competitions

The selection of the best drivers in a company should comprise, as a minimum, an in-service assessment of driving and customer care skills and a written test on the Highway Code and legal responsibilities. Some companies choose to take into account such factors as personal and in-service timekeeping, complaints and compliments, adherence to company regulations and smartness of dress.

Some operators organise a more comprehensive selection process along the lines of the BDoY final, incorporating both on- and off-road driving tests, and such companies are welcome to contact the BDoY Operations Director, Keith Fieldhouse on operations@bdoy.co.uk for guidance, or setting the competition up. BDoY does not exclude would-be entrants whose employers are unable to organise the full recommended seeding process. The Contact Us section contains details of the BDoY board, which companies may find useful.

All entrants to the competition must have the support of their employer. BDoY does not accept independent entries.

Proceeding to the Final

BDoY has the support of all the major bus groups, and as the industry’s leading road safety and skills competition, the BDoY National Final is the ideal opportunity for operators to present their best drivers to the public and to afford them the chance to win valuable prizes and claim the accolade of 'UK Bus Driver of the Year'.

A set of final instructions will be compiled once companies have selected their best drivers and supplied competitor names to BDoY via its website. Approximately 2 weeks before the National Final local organisers will be emailed a copy of the final instructions for them to share with their competitors. These instructions will include times and locations for required activities on the day of the National Final itself and general information about the National Final weekend.