WILMSLOW resident Peter Sumner has been named Engineer of the Year in the Large Operator category at the annual Route One Awards.

The national awards, which took place in Birmingham, aim to celebrate achievements and excellence in the coach and bus industry with nominees being put forward by dealers, manufacturers and suppliers.

Peter, who began his career with Ribble Motor Services back in 1970, first worked with Stagecoach Manchester in 1997 and after a 10-year spell with Stagecoach in London, returned to Manchester as engineering director in 2011.

He beat off competition from up and down the country to collect the top prize and was commended for ensuring Stagecoach Manchester employs no fewer than 20 apprentices at any given time.

Since returning to Stagecoach Manchester, Peter has built a strong team of engineers, who have contributed greatly in him achieving this award.

After collecting his award, Peter said: “I was surprised to be nominated first and foremost, but receiving this award is very much a recognition of the good work that goes on behind the scenes at Stagecoach Manchester to ensure the customer journey can be as comfortable and practical as possible.

“A big part of my job is ensuring our fleet is ready to perform at its best from an efficiency point of view, while also ensuring that we have one of the most modern fleets in the country that is correctly maintained to lessen our impact on the local environment.

"So I’d like to pass on my thanks for receiving this award and assure customers that our buses will continue to be among the best in the country.”

Speaking about Peter’s award, Stagecoach Manchester managing director, Elisabeth Tasker, said: “We’re over the moon for Peter and he is a very deserving recipient of the Engineer of the Year award.

“Peter works tirelessly to ensure the Stagecoach Manchester fleet is performing as well as it can do on a daily basis and his creative direction has been invaluable to us as a business, helping us to improve efficiency and presentation of our services throughout his time here.”