Bus driver celebrates 30 years in 'stop-gap' job
StagecoachA bus driver is celebrating three decades behind the wheel after initially thinking he would only do the job for a couple of years.
Andrew Stewart, who has worked on the buses since 1996, mostly travelling back and forth across Cumbria, has also scooped titles in the Bus Driver of the Year competitions in his spare time.
The 62-year-old from Cockermouth said he initially intended the role to be a "stop-gap", but had no plans to leave the world of pneumatic doors any time soon.
One of his favourite memories was being selected to work at the London 2012 Olympics where he was in charge of transporting the Angolan women's team to and from their training facilities.
He also met Mo Farah and Usain Bolt, who Stewart said were slightly dirty-minded about the town he came from.
"I told them I was from Cockermouth and they thought I was joking, so I showed them where it was on Google Maps.
"Once they realised I was telling the truth we had a good chat, and they were both true gentlemen and very down to earth.
"It was a great experience and something I'll never forget."
He said he missed Whitehaven Bus Station, where he used to be based, which closed in 2002.
As for the vehicles he has driven over the decades, they have "changed enormously".
"The older buses were harder to operate, but in my experience, they were a lot more reliable," he said.
On his travels, he also acquired the nickname "Flatpack" from a colleague at the station.
Stewart explained: "He said I must have a screw missing doing the hours I was doing, and the name Flatpack stuck – like the furniture you used to get where there was always a screw missing!"
He said: "I've met some great friends over the years and many of them are still friends 30 years on - and I'm still learning every day."
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