SMILING Gurnam Singh says going the extra mile saw him named bus driver of the year for the second time in a row.

The Stagecoach driver took the honour after dozens of his passengers recommended him for the accolade.

Gurnam, who has been a Stagecoach bus driver for almost three years, said: “I’m so happy to have been given this award.

"Last year I couldn’t believe it. That was one of the best moments for me since starting this job, to get this achievement and know people appreciate me.

“So to get it again, I’m just so happy.”

The driver had 55 letters of recommendation from passengers this year, including one from someone who has been using the buses for 20 years.

Gurnam is now a well-known face in the town having driven many of the central bus routes for the past two years.

“I’ve done the number seven, nine, 10, 81, 82, and so on. I know most of the routes by heart,” he said.

“I used to work as a milkman so it has been quite easy because I already knew my way around.”

Gurnam says now he gets recognised by passengers when out and about.

“Many people know me now and say ‘oh you’re the happy chappy bus driver,’ when they see me,” he said.

Gurnam said he enjoys the human interaction part of his job the most.

“It’s important to have a good relationship with the customers. First of all you’ve got to be a good human being, and help customers whenever you can.

“And it helps you to deal with any situations if they come up,” said Gurnam.

A memorable drive for Gurnam was during the snow earlier this year.

“It was so bad, no-one else was on the roads and it was windy. I had two passengers and I ended up being 40 minutes late getting them to their stop,” he said.

Gurnam was about to apologise for the time delay when the customers expressed their gratitude for driving them safely through the snow.

“It really is true that when I’m nice to the customers, they’re nice to me,” he added.