Brighton and Hove Buses win at the 2021 UK Bus Awards

The bus company's Above and Beyond campaign, which features 24 local people who have made a positive difference to other peoples’ lives on the side of its buses, was a winner in the Services to the Community category.

Victoria Garcia MBE, the company's accessibility and communities manager, also won the award for Impact on the Bus Industry by an Individual for her work campaigning for accessible travel for everybody.

Martin Harris, Brighton & Hove and Metrobus managing director, said: “We have always been a bus company that has a close connection to the people and the communities we serve and that’s why these two awards are so special.

Victoria Garcia MBE, Brighton & Hove and Metrobus Accessibility and Communities Manager.

"I am proud of my colleagues for their achievements and of the way they have continued to get out there and engage with people, despite the pandemic."

The 24 individuals for the Above and Beyond campaign were all chosen by the public and local community groups.

All of their stories appear on the inside of the route 1 buses, which travel between the city and Whitehawk.

These stories included: an 85-year-old roller skating charity fundraiser Roller Roy; disability campaigner Lizzie Batten; chef Gabriel Gutierrez, who delivered hot meals to struggling families during lockdown; learning mentor Kate Jordan; and Clock Tower Sanctuary volunteers Paul Phipps and Mark Sewell, who gave homeless young people things most people take for granted, like a hot shower, a cup of tea and clean clothes.

To find out more about the people and the stories behind Above & Beyond click here. Victoria Garcia MBE won her award for her work campaigning for accessible travel for everybody.

The accessibility and communities manager worked extensively with disabled people and community groups on bus design and bus driver training, as well as leading a campaign to address hate crime on public transport. She was awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to disabled transport users.

You can read more about the work of the Accessibility and Communities team here.

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