How to Enter and Categories

This category is designed to recognise and reward the hard work and effort which goes into representing the passenger transport industry to the travelling public and to government at European, national, devolved and local level.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to anybody working within or in organisations associated with the public passenger transport industry in its widest sense. Nominees could therefore include people working for operators, local authorities (members and officers), the academic community, the civil service, politics or consultancies.

... and by whom?

Anybody working within the organisations described may nominate anybody working for their own organisation or another body for this award.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The judges will be looking for the individual who has done most to raise the profile of the public passenger transport industry in a positive manner over the last 12 months. Profile-raising in this context includes achievements in media, marketing, PR or community liaison.
Entries will be judged on the overall quality of the submissions, which should provide evidence to show:

♦  the nature and extent of the communications achieved
♦  the coverage achieved by those communications
♦  evidence (such as comment or appreciation) from other people, including other industry stakeholders or customers or members of the wider public to show improved perception as a result.

It is accepted that such evidence may on occasion be difficult to obtain, but may be available from such things as web site comments/responses or letters to the editor in local newspapers or other media. Failure to provide such evidence would not disqualify an otherwise compliant entry.

Delivery of good customer service is vital to future of the public transport industry. This Award is designed to promote its delivery and improvement by rewarding an individual who has helped to deliver excellence, best practice and innovation in this essential area.

Who can be nominated?

The judges are looking for an individual who:

♦  has helped to set a new standard to deliver customer satisfaction, or
♦  led or helped to develop a particular creative solution which had vastly improved the overall passenger experience, or
♦  improved the journey experience for a particular passenger group

Ideally, the winner of the award will set ambitions for the future and thus blaze a trail for others in the industry to follow.

… and by whom?

Entries will be welcomed from operators, partnerships, tourist agencies, authorities and others specifying and securing services.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

Decisions will be based on the quality of the submissions made and the extent to which they address the criteria. Therefore, nominations should:

♦  demonstrate the status of the nominee within the organisation, and their role in improving customer service
♦  show how the nominee has contributed to the achievement of one or more of the following:
      • delivery of outstanding standards of service to passengers
      • improvement in the standards of its service to all its passengers
      • improvement to the journey experience of particular groups of passengers including those with restricted mobility
♦  show why the nomination is innovative and likely to influence others in the industry.

In assessing and comparing entries, judges will take into account the overall approach of the nominee’s employer to customer service standards which will be judged on the factors set out below:

♦  Employee training and involvement: the extent to which staff are involved in the delivery of excellent customer service and in the development of the standards by which the organisation judges itself
♦  Service delivery: how the organisation goes about achieving consistency of delivery and measurement of standards
♦  Recovery: how the nominee goes about restoring the customer confidence when performance falls short of the expected quality
♦  Customer information and contact: the approaches used by the organisation to ensure that customers are:
      • treated with respect and integrity
      • kept informed
      • provided with easily accessible points of contact
      • provided with clearly documented, published and auditable complaints procedures
♦ Customer research: the extent to which a company or organisation -
      • seeks to discover the needs and expectations of its customers with some indication of the results of such a strategy
      • bases its strategy on customer feedback
      • measures its achievements (and/or failures) by research and monitoring and uses results to modify or improve its approach.

Digital communication is a vital tool in the battle to win business by helping to promote companies, brands and people.
With the growth of online communication, e-commerce and social media, it has become a major influence on our lives – and with the development of AI and quantum computing, the pace of development will only accelerate.
Thus, the whole range of digital communication tools has become indispensable for the all passenger transport modes, enabling operators to:

♦  communicate internally and externally
♦  promote to customers and potential customers
♦  build brand awareness
♦  sell products via e-commerce or apps.

This award will go to the nominee who, in the opinion of the judges, offers the best mix of online information and marketing tools to meet their business objectives, and can demonstrate that the application of these tools has driven the expansion and success of their business.

In addition to the written submission, nominees will be assessed for the design, features, content, functionality and customer-friendliness of their online presence.

Who can be nominated?

The award is open to employees, contractors or freelancers working for ground passenger transport operators, local authorities and suppliers of consultancy and design services to the passenger transport industry.

… and by whom?

We welcome nominations from the organisations described above.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The award will be based on the quality of the information supplied. The information should describe:

♦  the contribution made to the business by the existence of digital communications
♦  how the nominee planned the introduction of digital technologies and techniques for information provision and marketing that support business objectives
♦  how the nominee applied the key technologies, tools and techniques of digital marketing to improve marketing effectiveness
♦  how online marketing tools were fitted into the company’s overall marketing and communications mix
♦  any future plans for further development to improve the contribution of digital technologies to their organisation.

In addition, entries should contain information on:

♦ technical details of online activities including:
      • website URLs
      • social media links
      • apps available – description and prime function

♦ statistical evidence on the engagement achieved by the digital communications work, including but not limited to:
      • website unique visits and page views
      • app downloads and traffic volumes
      • the volume of business done via e-commerce on the web or in an app
      • the levels of engagement via social media sites (followers, page likes, etc)
      • any relevant supporting material.

Finalists’ web sites will be visited and assessed by “Mystery Shoppers”, experts who will rate nominees’ internet and social media presences, rating features, content, functionality and customer-friendliness. This assessment will carry a significant weighting in the judging.

This category is designed to recognise, reward and inspire management talent in the engineering disciplines of the public transport industry.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to all people employed at or above the supervisory grade in the engineering function of operating, maintenance or manufacturing companies or organisations.

… and by whom?

Nominations are welcomed from the nominee’s employer or from other organisations with whom the individual works on a regular basis.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The judges will reach their decision on the quality of the submissions made by the nominating organisation.
Nominating organisations must be able to demonstrate that the nominees have shown excellence in management and leadership and that this has been recognised by them.
Nominees must be able to demonstrate:

♦  an ability to manage complex tasks, people, processes and the environment in which their organisation operates
♦  effective communication skills with both staff and colleagues
♦  a commitment to mentoring or other leadership activities
♦  the ability to perform to a budget and to deliver measurable outputs and other outputs, which could include:
      • specified vehicle availability targets
      • specified testing targets
      • avoidance of in-service failures or intervention by statutory authorities

Entries should address each of the above criteria.

This award is open to professionals who have led a project to introduce a new piece of transport infrastructure or a new transport product in the last 12 months.

Who can be nominated?

Individuals who have had primary responsibility for the delivery of a project or contract, involving the provision of new public passenger transport infrastructure at a cost in excess of £3m, including but not limited to:

♦  bus projects such as busways (guided or non-guided) or major bus priority schemes
♦  introduction of infrastructure for zero emission vehicles
♦  new or upgraded rail lines for national rail, metro/Underground, or light railways or tramways
♦  new or improved passenger facilities at rail or bus stations
♦  park and Ride projects
♦  road schemes where the predominant purpose of the scheme was to improve public passenger transport.

...and by whom?

♦  transport operators
♦  local authorities (including Combined Authorities and Transport for London)
♦  other bodies involved in the planning and provision of local public transport services
♦  construction companies and special purpose ventures established to deliver transport projects.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

Entries will be judged on the overall quality of the submissions, which should provide evidence to show:

♦  the scheme's positive benefits
♦  the quality of the project design
♦  the fact that the completed project meets operator and client requirements
♦  that the facilities have proved to be fit for purpose
♦  that the nominee can be shown to have:
      • met stated objectives
      • delivered as close as possible to requirements in terms of time and budget

This award is designed to recognise  the skills and effort required to bring a new product or service to the market.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to anybody working within or in organisations associated with the public passenger transport industry. Nominees could therefore include people working for:

♦  transport operators
♦  manufacturers
♦  consultancies
♦  industry suppliers
♦  local authorities

...and by whom?

Nominations are welcomed from the nominee’s employer or from other organisations with whom the individual works on a regular basis.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The judges will be looking for the individual who has been responsible for the most innovative development in passenger transport in the previous twelve months. This award will be made to the person responsible for an innovation which, in the opinion of the judges, most contributes to the improvement of a product in public passenger transport. Evidence of quantification of the benefits achieved is essential.
Entries will be judged on the overall quality of the submissions, which should provide evidence to show:

♦  that the nominated individual was primarily or principally responsible for the delivery of the project(s), including the setting of specific objectives, the achievement of those objectives and the learning of lessons from the project
♦  that the project represented the development of an original or novel idea that achieved one or more of the following:
      • improved the perception of one or more public transport modes
      • improved access to one or more public transport modes, or improved interchange between them
      • stimulated interest in, or desire for, a public transport product
      • improved the efficiency of one or more public transport modes

As well as talent and commitment, successful managers need the right context, support and organisational culture to be able to give of their best. It is vital that, as an industry, we help to develop those ingredients. This award is therefore designed to showcase the industry’s best management education and development initiatives.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to companies, local authorities, government agencies or other industry bodies who are active in the planning, delivery and promotion of ground public transport services in the UK or the manufacture or supply of vehicles and equipment designed for those services. Self-nomination is acceptable for this category.

… and by whom?

Nominations are sought from individuals or organisations within the industry, who may nominate their own organisation or another operator or local transport authority who, in their view, qualify for this recognition.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

Judges will be looking for the company or organisation that shows a clear and declared commitment over a sustained period to:

♦ help leaders at every level reach their potential through training and development opportunities
♦ implement projects that are designed to develop skills, support innovation and leadership
♦ foster talent, thereby enhancing management effectiveness

Judges will give weight to projects that help members of staff to:

♦ take high-impact decisions with a holistic view of finance, accounting and marketing
♦ develop skills in leading diverse teams
♦ make informed and effective business decisions and judgements
♦ harness and implement new technologies, innovations and tools

This award provides an opportunity to reward planners, academics, managers or politicians who have made a major contribution to one or more of:

♦  planning in passenger transport
♦  policy development, thinking and innovation
♦  senior management (i.e. General Managers, Chief Executives or Directors or equivalent)

The major contribution will ideally include contributions to the wider industry as well as a particular employer through involvement in professional bodies or trade associations.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to anybody working within or in organisations associated with the public passenger transport industry in its widest sense. Nominees could therefore include people working for operators, local authorities (members and officers), the academic community, the civil service, politics or consultancies.

... and by whom?

The organisers would like to hear from as wide a range of people in the industry as possible as to the names of those who might qualify for this very special award.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

Nominations for this award will not be sought in the formal sense, but the aim will be for judges and scheme executives to reach a consensus annually on the individual to receive the award.

This award is designed to recognise the skills of individuals involved in the management and implementation of marketing and projects in the UK public passenger transport industry.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to anybody working in a marketing, sales, advertising or public relations role within organisations associated with the public passenger transport industry in its widest sense.
Nominees could therefore include people working for operators, local authorities, manufacturers, consultancies or industry suppliers. Since the award is for professionals, authority members or other politicians are not eligible for this category.

... and by whom?

Anybody working in the industry, or as marketing professionals in companies or organisations working with transport operators.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The Marketeer of the Year Award will be won by the marketing professional in an operating company, local authority, partnership or other organisation that can show how the spirited use of marketing methods for which they have been responsible has achieved its campaign objectives.
Creative marketing wins hearts and minds and successful brands live: the winning professional will have delivered a project or projects that have an outstanding quality that fires the imagination of customers.
The judging will be based on the quality of the submissions made, which should:

♦  demonstrate the status of the nominee within the organisation, and show the relationship of the campaign to this.
♦  demonstrate the nominee's role in
      • the setting of the organisation's overall marketing strategy
      • the planning of specific campaign(s)
      • the proposals for setting targets
      • the execution of the campaign, showing methods used and why, how demand was stimulated and customer access to the product improved, and how potential customers were identified and informed
♦  describe how the campaign was monitored and measured, with statistical evidence of its effectiveness

This award is designed to be the 'grand prix' of the competition, to recognise and reward the exercise of outstanding management talent in the delivery of ground public passenger transport services in all or part of the UK. Depending on the number of received, the nominations may be divided into two or more sub-categories based on the size of the organisation for which the nominee is responsible. We expect the division to be: Small, up to £40m annual turnover; Medium, £40m to £100m; and Large, over £100m. If this is done, an additional award will be made for the overall winner.

Who can be nominated?

This award is for senior managers, executives and leaders of medium to large enterprises or organisations in the public passenger transport industry, who work for their organisation in a professional management capacity.
This includes (but is not limited to):

♦  general managers
♦  chief executives
♦  executive directors
♦  group managers
♦  directors of subsidiary companies
♦  divisional heads or managers

In this context, "medium to large" means organisations with an annual turnover (or, in the case of public sector organisations, an expenditure budget) in excess of £5 million.

... and by whom?

Nominations for this award can come from the nominee’s employer, or another organisation with whom he or she regularly works.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

This award is designed for those who have made the management of an enterprise or an organisation their profession - ordinary people who by their dedication, commitment and professionalism have done extraordinary things for their company or organisation day in day out, year in year out.
The judges will reach their decision on the quality of the written submissions made by the nominating organisation and by the nominees themselves. Short-listed entrants will be required to make a presentation to the judges and be interviewed by them.
Nominating organisations must be able to demonstrate that their nominee has shown excellence in management and leadership, and that they have recognised the fact in promotion or working on career development.
Nominees must be able to demonstrate:

♦  an ability to manage complex tasks, people, processes and the environment in which their organisation operates
♦  effective communication skills with both staff and stakeholders
♦  a commitment to mentoring or other leadership activities
♦  demonstrable ability to perform to a budget

Short-listed finalists may be invited for a discussion with the judges and be asked to give a ten minute presentation on the role of their organisation in the community and the wider transport market, or a topic of their choosing relevant to passenger transport industry. These sessions will take place in central London during mid-June.

This award is designed to recognise the key importance of management at "the sharp end" in the delivery of high-quality service in a labour-intensive environment.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to managers of a single identifiable geographical unit in the provision of public passenger transport services by an operator or local authority (e.g. a depot, a service delivery unit, a call centre or a defined geographical area) with responsibility for:

♦  service delivery
♦  staff discipline and management of more than 20 staff
♦  a defined budget

Therefore, typical nominees will be Depot Managers or Superintendents, Call Centre Managers or Maintenance Team Managers. However, nominations of other personnel which meet the above criteria will be accepted.

... and by whom?

Entries will be accepted from the nominee’s employer or from other organisations with whom the individual works on a regular basis.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The judges will be looking in particular for people who have delivered consistently high levels of service to their customers or client groups and/or gone above and beyond the actions normally expected in their tasks. Performance which is financially sustainable within the constraints set by the organisation will also be an important criterion. Entries will be judged on the overall quality of the submissions, which should provide evidence to show:

♦  levels of customer/client service consistently above minimum requirements or industry averages, as evidenced by such data as:
      • quality of service indicators
      • punctuality and reliability data
      • other Key Performance Indicators set and consistently measured by the employing organisation
♦  levels of employee relationship data which demonstrate high quality of management delivery. Such data could include:
      • levels of absenteeism
      • staff turnover ratios
      • vacancy levels
♦  levels of or changes in staff utilisation measures (e.g. scheduling efficiency) where these are under the control of the nominee
♦  delivery of financial objectives, such as revenue levels/growth, profitability or cost levels in line with or better than budgets/targets set.
♦  evidence of personal commitment and achievement above the normally expected levels from simple contractual compliance.

Entries which show substantial evidence of improvement against objectives over a period of time will also be acceptable.

This award recognises management teams that have demonstrated excellence across the organisation to achieve business success.

Who can be nominated?

Teams of two or more people who have worked closely together to deliver a specific project, to address a particular issue or problem, or delivered a specified range of objectives.

… and by whom?

Senior managers in both operating companies and local authorities are asked to nominate teams within their own organisation or with another company, organisation or local transport authority who, in their view, qualify for this recognition.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

Judges will be looking for a team which can demonstrate exceptional teamwork and innovative and unique approaches to addressing either one key business issue across the year or multiple projects as part of an overall business strategy.
Nominating organisations must be able to demonstrate that the team they nominate has shown excellence in management and leadership.
Teams must be able to demonstrate:

♦  an ability to manage complex tasks, people, processes and the environment in which their organisation operates
♦  effective communication skills with both staff and stakeholders
♦  a commitment to mentoring or other leadership activities
♦  demonstrable ability to perform to a budget

This category will be presented to one or more individuals who perform supervisory or junior management roles in the industry and are known for their hard-work, loyalty and devotion to duty.
In many cases, the ‘Unsung Heroes’ are those who keep the wheels turning against all the odds; no transport operator or organisation can do without such people – even though they often slave away for years with no recognition save their own satisfaction in a service delivered and a job well done, whether they work for the operator or the local transport authority.
Above all, the ‘Unsung Hero’ will be someone who demonstrates the importance of ensuring that the services are delivered for the passenger and for the local community.

Who can be nominated?

Any person working for a public transport operator or local transport authority continuously for the twelve months prior to the nomination, who can show service in a management and/or supervisory role of more than five years.

… and by whom?

Senior managers in both across the passenger transport industry are asked to nominate people within their own organisation or another company, organisation or local authority who, in their view, qualify for this recognition.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The Award will be made on the basis of the quality of the submissions made, which need to set out:

♦  the nominee’s length of service
♦  the nature and extent of their current responsibilities
♦  the consistency of the nominee’s record of achievement
♦  the sustainability of the entrant’s contributions.

This award is designed to recognise and reward young recruits or relatively recent entrants to a career in passenger transport management, but who have been in the industry a sufficient time for them to be able to demonstrate their talents and show signs of fulfilling their promise.

Who can be nominated?

This award is open to all managers under the age of 30 who:

♦  lead an organisation or major business unit in a professional capacity
♦  who own and operate their own business employing more than five people
♦  work in a local authority, government department or quasi non-governmental organisation with functional responsibility for more than five staff

... and by whom?

Nominations for this award can come from the nominee’s employer, or another organisation with whom he or she regularly works.

Judging criteria and entry requirements

The judges will reach their decision on the quality of the written submissions made by the nominating organisation and by the nominees themselves. Short-listed entrants may be required to make a presentation to the judges and be interviewed by them.
Nominating organisations must be able to demonstrate that the nominees have shown excellence in management and leadership, and that this has been recognised by them.
Nominees must be able to demonstrate:

♦  an ability to manage complex tasks, people, processes and the environment in which their organisation operates
♦  effective communication skills with both staff and stakeholders
♦  a commitment to mentoring or other leadership activities
♦  demonstrable ability to perform to a budget

Short-listed finalists will be invited for a discussion with the judges and be asked to give a ten minute presentation on the role of their organisation in the community and the wider transport market, or a topic of their choosing relevant to passenger transport industry. These sessions will take place in central London during mid-June.

1. The decision of the judges will be final. No correspondence will be entered into with entrants concerning the decision of the judges on any matter associated with the scheme.

2. The right is reserved to refuse any entry, or to disqualify an entry from consideration for any reason. No discussion or correspondence concerning such a decision will be entered into.

3. The premature disclosure of an entry’s status as a short-listed or winning nomination will render the entry liable to disqualification.

4. Entries may be moved from one award category to another, or duplicated into one or more other categories, if it is considered the nomination to be more appropriate for another category.

5. By submitting an entry in a category for employees, you are confirming that you have obtained your employee’s consent to their name being put forward and have made sure that they understand that this may result in them and their family receiving media coverage and press enquiries.

6. Material from any entry may subsequently be published by Transport Events Group, and submission of material with the entry will be taken as granting copyright for Transport Events Group to publish and use in any way it sees fit without reference to the nominee.

7. Entries are accepted for individuals and organisations operating in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.