February 26 2024

Media statement (Translink) 

• The public voting phase of the Queensland Bus Driver of the Year Awards runs until 14 March.
• More than 1800 nominations have been narrowed down to nine, with three finalists in each distinct category.
• The awards celebrate the bus drivers who keep our communities on the move.

Who is Queensland’s best bus driver? Voting is now open in the hunt for the bus drivers who go the extra mile for their communities across Queensland.

Translink put the call out and received an outstanding 1,860 nominations – the most the award has received since its inception in 2018.

Following an extensive shortlisting process, a judging panel of industry experts have selected three finalists in each distinct category.

Finalists in the 2023 Queensland Bus Driver of the Year Awards are:

Regional Bus Driver of the Year finalists:

• David Bussey – Whitsunday Transit (Airlie Beach)
• Maurice Dezotti – Kinetic (Bundaberg)
• John Christensen – Christensen’s Bus and Coach (Kilcoy)

School Bus Driver of the Year:

• Leasa Diggins  – Owner/Operator (Kin Kin)
• Mark Nel – CDC Queensland (Yeppoon)
• Stuart Kneeves – Cavbus Group (Beaudesert)

South East Queensland Bus Driver of the Year finalists:

• Luluu Berns – Hornibrook Buslines (Clontarf)
• Codylee Drew – Bus Queensland (Redbank)
• Pamela Hardy – Kinetic (Sunshine Coast)

Quotes attributable to Acting Head of Translink Peter Milward:

“The role our local bus drivers play in keeping our communities moving is essential.

“Bus drivers help our kids travel safely to school, they get us to work and home again, and they connect us to social gatherings and major events.

“The Queensland Bus Driver of the Year Awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the bus drivers who goes that extra mile, every day, for their passengers.

“The sheer number of nominations received demonstrates the outstanding service our bus drivers deliver in communities across Queensland.

“Congratulations to every bus driver who received a nomination and well done to the finalists for standing out in such a high-quality field.”

Queenslanders can now view videos of the finalists and cast their vote on the Translink website.

Voting is open from 26 February to 14 March. The winner in each category will be announced at the annual Queensland Bus Industry Council conference on Saturday 6 April 2024.

For more information about the Queensland Bus Driver of the Year Awards and to vote visit the Translink website.