School bus driver hailed
A bus driver has been recognised for his professionalism in dealing with a tragic situation while on a school run last September.
Caillian Ellis, a Bus Éireann employee from Sligo, was awarded ‘School Bus Driver of the Year’ at a recent awards ceremony.
He was especially praised for the manner of his dealing with the extremely difficult incident.
On September 5 th, a 20 year old man tragically lost his life in a collision involving the school bus on the main Cloone to Fenagh/Ballinamore Road at 8am.
There were five children on the bus, but none were injured.
Despite having to manage this traumatic scene, Caillian remained professional at all times, looking after the children on board, protecting them from the scene of the accident and taking them to a safe location, for which the parents of the children on board were very complimentary of his prompt and professional actions.
Last week, Bus Éireann paid tribute to the bus driver at its annual GEM (Go the Extra Mile) Awards ceremony in Croke Park.
Caillian was awarded the School Bus Driver of the Year.
A number of other drivers were also recognised in various categories that recognise excellent customer service, community impact, performance and forward thinking.
Now in its second year, the awards were issued in a number of different categories including Depot of the Year, Apprentice of the Year, Craftworker of the Year, Hero of the Year, Driver of the Year, Executive of the Year and Engineering Operative of the Year.
Five ‘Values Awards’ were also issued to reflect Bus Éireann’s core values: Safety, Customer First, Collaboration, Performance and Forward Thinking.
In congratulating the winners, Stephen Kent, Bus Éireann Chief Executive Officer, said: “2019 has been a landmark year for Bus Éireann and we have our fantastic team of dedicated colleagues to thank for all that has been achieved to date.
“As Ireland’s national bus company, our purpose is to connect people with who and what matters to them, helping to make life better.
“In 2018, 83 million passenger journeys were made across all of our services.
“The GEM Awards celebrate and recognise the exceptional contributions of
Bus Éireann employees who consistently ‘go the extra mile’ for our customers. We have ambitious plans and our employees are intrinsic to our future as we implement an extensive service enhancement programme over the next 18 months, which will benefit our customers and continue to drive further growth in public transport usage”.