In an event to mark his retirement, 74-year-old Pat Hughes has had a fantastic surprise from National Express West Midlands.
Picture Credit: National Express
Pat has worked for the company for a staggering 55 years after moving from Ireland to Birmingham in 1966. As well as driving the bus on the 97 route for 40 years, he joined the training department in 2006.
Since then, Pat has been an integral member of the training team, supporting new drivers and creating thousands of route videos.
Pat is the longest-serving employee at West Midlands and has held the title of Bus Driver of the Year five times.
A training bus has now been named in his honour.
Mark Heffernan, Operations and Safety Director for National Express UK, said:
“As our longest-serving employee we are delighted to be able to celebrate over a half-century of loyal service from Pat by dedicating one of our buses to him.
“We hope when he sees it out on the road he’ll smile and be reminded of the many fond memories during his time here at National Express.
“Pat has demonstrated excellent dedication and commitment not only to the company but also to the thousands of customers and drivers he’s helped during the course of his career.
“On behalf of everybody at National Express West Midlands I’d like to thank Pat for his tremendous efforts throughout his journey with us and wish him all the best for his well-earned retirement.”