A ‘Battle of the Buses' saw Local Transport Minister, , compete against pro
cricketers to promote apprenticeships for the next generation of
bus drivers, as the government accelerates journey to growth
through our Plan for Change.
Arranged by First Bus, one of the UK's largest bus operators, the
time trial event is designed to showcase the rigorous tests taken
by learner bus drivers, emphasising the high skill level and
rigorous standards expected of all staff.
Minister Lightwood and pro-cricketers were put through their
paces, tackling elements of the real-life driving test, including
reversing, roundabouts and turning the bus without knocking over
cones.
Increasing opportunities for young people across the country is
vital to drive up living standards and the government is
supporting apprentices in the bus sector by including measures to
enhance their training in the incoming Bus Services Bill.
The event comes alongside £1 billion of investment to improve bus
stop infrastructure, enhance bus service frequency and
reliability and boost bus connectivity – and the incoming Bus
Services Bill – which will deliver on the government's Plan for
Change by boosting local control of services, upskilling staff
and better linking local people to job opportunities.
The minister and Essex County cricketers, Paul Walter and Matt
Critchley, were all scored on safety, speed, checking mirrors and
using the correct turning signals. To understand the versatility
required from learner drivers, they also took a 10-question
theory test. Last week, the Rail Minister, Lord , also took part in the
challenge, alongside Essex Women's cricketers, Eva Gray, Cordelia
Griffith and Kelly Castle.
Local Transport Minister, , said:
Today has been a fantastic opportunity to better understand the
commitment and skill required of our incredible bus driver
apprentices up and down the country.
As the future of the industry, we're determined to provide
apprentice drivers with the skills they need to deal with
challenges facing the bus sector and to ensure our bus services
stay safe, inclusive and comfortable for all passengers.
Delivering better bus services will ensure people have proper
access to jobs and opportunities, putting more money in their
pockets and powering growth in every corner of the country.
As part of the incoming Bus Services Bill, all bus staff will get
mandatory training on improving women's safety by responding to
anti-social behaviour and incidents of violence against women and
girls. The bill will be introduced in the House of
Commons shortly and will support the government's mission to
keep our streets safe by also giving local authorities new powers
to crack down on offenders.
The bill will also hand control to local leaders to operate bus
services to deliver the reliability that local people deserve,
whether they choose to emulate the achievements of Manchester's
Bee Network by taking operations fully in house or work closely
with operators to improve bus services, which has had great
success in Cornwall.
Piers Marlow, Managing Director of First Bus East of England,
said:
This is a fantastic and fun challenge for our partners at Essex
County Cricket and the Department for Transport, but it also
highlights the incredible skill required to be a bus driver.
At First Bus, we place a huge emphasis on training to ensure our
drivers are equipped with the expertise and confidence to
navigate our roads safely and efficiently. Events like this help
to showcase the professionalism of our drivers and the importance
of ongoing development across the industry.
Paul Walter, Essex County Cricket Club all-rounder, said:
The Battle of the Buses challenge was a lot of fun. I didn't
realise how tough driving a bus would be, it felt like something
out of Top Gear, with the leaderboard, obstacles and the First
Bus Stig.
We're all naturally competitive and it's always good to get one
over a teammate. I also really enjoyed going head-to-head with
Critch [Matt Critchley] and I understand that Kelly, Cordelia and
Eva got on great.
Thank you to First Bus for having us down for the day.
A measure is also included to push ahead with a bright, new and
clean future for the sector, by ending the use of new diesel and
petrol buses on English bus services by 2030, heralding a green
new era for buses across the country,
The government is ensuring that industry bosses and local leaders
have a voice by hosting panel sessions, the first of which took
in Sheffield on 13 March 2025. This discussion considered how
British manufacturing of new zero emission buses will grow our
regional economies and drive up quality of life, as outlined in
the Plan for Change.
Local authorities are also currently being supported with £1
billion in bus service improvement funding, including £17.8
million for Essex County Council to maintain and improve bus
services and enhance infrastructure. They are expected to outline
their full plans for the funding in due course.
