Bus and coach engineering apprentice scoops international award

A bus and coach engineering apprentice at Pulhams Coaches has won an international award.

Rebecca MacDonald, 25, is entering her fourth year as an apprentice bus and coach technician with Pulhams Coaches, and has already demonstrated her bright future in the industry.

Miss MacDonald was named apprentice of the year at the Go-Ahead Gold Awards, celebrating the best of one of the UK’s largest public transport providers. Pulhams Coaches is a member of the Oxford Bus Group, part of The Go-Ahead Group.

On scooping the apprentice gong at a glitzy event held in London, Miss MacDonald said: “It was really good and a shock to be fair as there were a lot of strong candidates. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was a really good night.

“There was a ballroom-like entrance with food and drinks, the awards, and then an after-party. It was nice to do something different and meet new people.

“I got a certificate on the night, a medal, and a £500 voucher. There’s a trophy too, which I’ll get, and it’ll be good to put that on show.”

Reflecting on her time so far with Pulhams Coaches, based in Bourton-on-the-Water, Miss MacDonald said: “My first couple of years were really good. I learnt how to inspect vehicles, and then in my third year, there was a lot more diagnostics, and I gained a lot of experience from that.

“I’m waiting to sit my exams at the moment and then I’ll be able to gain a lot more experience hopefully.

“It’s been nice to learn as much as I can, and I like to get involved with the technical things.

“I’ve recently done an electrical engineering course, which links in with Pulhams and the forthcoming growth of our electric fleet.

“We’re a really good team and we work together to get stuff done. All of us are learning and doing what we can, and I’ve had a lot of support from Pulhams.”

Luke Marion, Managing Director at Pulhams Coaches, said: “The award win for Rebecca was richly deserved.

“She has demonstrated bags of initiative and taken on a lot of responsibility, despite still undergoing her apprenticeship.

“Rebecca is a very proactive person who is always keen to learn new skills and take on extra, and who thinks creatively to come up with answers to problems rather than taking a ‘textbook’ approach.

“In recent weeks, she has even stepped up to running the workshop at Bourton-on-the-Water depot for short periods, for example when her Engineering Manager was away on annual leave, which for someone who is a third-year apprentice shows fantastic potential.

“Rebecca is very well-respected by the team at Pulhams and there has been a huge outpouring of support for her from the team following her win.”

Elsewhere at the Go-Ahead Gold Awards, there was further recognition for fellow members of the Oxford Bus Group.

Oxford Bus Company’s Oseas Moura Nunes was nominated for coach driver of the year, while the Didcot depot operated by Thames Travel was shortlisted for depot of the year.