Young engineer at Bedford bus operator set for bright future after East Apprentice Award

Ben Wykes was named the Stagecoach East Apprentice of the Year at the annual Apprentice of the Year Awards - the award was presented by Nathan Patrick, Engineering Manager at Stagecoach East, at a gala dinner held at Manchester Airport.

Ben is a Vehicle Technician, whose role is to carry out routine maintenance and repairs on the operator’s modern fleet of buses

Since joining the bus operator, Ben has consistently demonstrated a remarkable commitment to learning and growth. He eagerly dives into new tasks and projects, showing a willingness to adapt and contribute to the team's success. Whether it's taking on challenging assignments or offering innovative solutions to problems, he is well known for his positive and proactive approach.

Considering Ben’s success, Nathan said: “Since joining our team, he has made an outstanding impression with his dedication, enthusiasm, and positive attitude. He is a real inspiration and I hope that he will inspire more young people, who have an interest in engineering, to learn their trade here at Stagecoach East.”

Ben’s achievement is just the first of what Stagecoach East hopes will be a series of victories over the next two months. Different parts of the local bus operators have been shortlisted as Finalists in the UK Bus Awards, Route One Awards, National Transport Awards and the Society of Operations Engineers’ Safety and Resilience Awards.