trentbarton drivers are the best in the bus business, according to the latest Transport Focus survey of passengers.

The survey, which ran across the final four months of 2016, saw trentbarton’s drivers given the highest rating – 91.5 per cent – of all the bus companies in the national study.

trentbarton discovered last week that its drivers were the best in Nottinghamshire. Now the overall results are in and they are the national number one.

Transport Focus is the independent transport watchdog that represents the voice of customers and campaigns for better transport. It spoke to hundreds of passengers who were asked to give their views about punctuality, travel information, bus stops, waiting time, cleanliness and the drivers.

Ratings for driver appearance, greeting, attitude and overall satisfaction all topped 90 per cent. trentbarton’s drivers also ranked top for smoothness of driving and safety. Customers felt more secure on trentbarton’s buses than other operators’.

The only criticism voiced by passengers was about an issue beyond the control of trentbarton or any other bus company – congestion. Traffic jams were cited as a cause of slower journey time by more than one in three passengers affected.

trentbarton managing director Jeff Counsell said: “We are absolutely delighted that our drivers have been judged the best in the country. We put a huge amount of effort into getting our recruitment and training right and this is reflected in our drivers being scored incredibly highly by our customers.

“We are also delighted to see our score for value for money on the rise. Our great value ticket options combined with massive and ongoing investment in the fleet and its on-board technology and creature comforts adds up to a great offer.

“This congestion trend has been worsening for three consecutive years now and everyone – all operators and their customers – need the local authorities to do their utmost to unblock the jams.”