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| A line-up of buses at the driver changeover point next to the Metropole Hotel |
The National Final of the Bus Driver of the Year competition took place in Blackpool on Sunday 5th September. Bus drivers from all around the country compete to be the top driver, and this year saw 9 buses being used, with 7 of them travelling from various parts of the UK. The competition commences from the seaward side of the Metropole Hotel, before proceeding along Middle Walk where a series of tests are set out for the drivers. The buses then navigate the roundabout at Gynn Square before returning south down the Promenade, where drivers are allowed to pick up and set down passengers at temporary bus stops positioned along the route. The weather was pretty miserable this year, starting out with heavy rain, easing to showers later.
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| Lothian Volvo B5TL ADL Enviro400 MMC 622 on Middle Walk |
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| Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire open top Volvo B5TL Wright Gemini 3 13801 |
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| McGill's Mercedes-Benz Citaro 3341 on Middle Walk |
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| Bee Network Wright StreetDeck Electroliner 2331 |
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| Stagecoach Midlands Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV 80061 on Middle Walk |
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| First York Wright StreetDeck NewPower EV 71029 |
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| Blackpool Transport ADL Enviro400 City 435 |
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| Arriva Merseyside VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2 3217 |
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| A line-up with First York 71029 sporting a large Blackpool Tower on the rear of the bus |
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| Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire open top Volvo B5TL Wright Gemini 3 13801 on Middle Walk |
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| Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire open top Volvo B5TL Wright Gemini 3 13801 upper deck |
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| Blackpool Transport ADL Enviro400 City 459 |
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| Several of the drivers posing for a group photo next to First York 71029 |
