Four of Scotland’s top public transport managers walked away with the top prizes at the Passenger Transport Management Awards ceremony held in London today (Friday).

The top prize was for Passenger Transport Professional 2008, which was awarded to managing director of train operator First ScotRail, Mary Grant. After devising FirstGroup’s winning bid for the franchise, Mary has gone on to deliver on the vision, and recently won a three year extension to the franchise from Transport Scotland. The judging panel praised  Mary for exemplifying the qualities they were looking for - all-round personal and professional skills, delivering Charisma, Delivery and Innovation.

The runner-up in the same category also comes from and works in Scotland – he was Neil Renilson, chief executive of Transport Edinburgh and Lothian Buses. Neil’s leadership has helped Lothian Buses to achieve the fastest market growth outside London over the last decade, and to win several awards including UK Bus Operator of the Year in 2007. The judges praised his personal commitment and leadership skills.

Perth-based transport giant Stagecoach Group recorded a win in the Innovator Category for Elaine Rosscraig, the Research and Development Manager of the group’s UK Bus divison. Elaine has been with Stagecoach since April 2001. Her role is extremely varied and includes primary and secondary research, direct marketing, data analysis, marketing communication and staff satisfaction.

Also working in Scotland is one of three winners of the Young Passenger Transport Professional Award for 2008. Sarah Longair works as Operations Director for Stagecoach at their bus company in West Scotland, based in Ayr. She completed the Stagecoach graduate programme four years ago, and has since worked her way up through the ranks to Operations Director at this award-winning company.
 
At the same event, First ScotRail’s marketing manager Graeme MacFarlane was rewarded with a highly commended certificate for his work on last summer’s leisure marketing campaign.

The awards are designed to reward the skills, talent and commitment of the UK’s public passenger transport managers, and were presented by Peter Hendy, the Transport Commissioner for London and Chair of the Commission for Integrated Transport. The ceremony was compered by the BBC’s southern transport correspondent Paul Clifton.

Award scheme organisers were specialist trade paper Transit magazine, with 83A Projects, the team that organises the highly successful UK Bus Awards.

Transit chairman Peter Stonham said, “Our new scheme is designed to cover the sector of the business which Transit magazine itself covers – namely the management and business of running public transport in all its guises.

“The awards have been designed to recognise the efforts that good quality managers have to make to ensure that the industry prospers, and that the services we provide are of the excellent standard they should be.

“As an industry, we need to offer the best possible showcase to the outside world, and I believe that all today’s prize winners have done just that.”

ENDS