The best of Scotland's transport industry were honoured last night at the 15th Annual Scottish Transport Awards, with 370 industry professionals in attendance. Hosted by writer, presenter and actor Sanjeev Kohli, the ceremony was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. Now in their fifteenth year the Awards recognise excellence, innovation and progress across all areas of transport in Scotland.
The top award of the night for local authorities, Local Transport Authority of the Year, was presented to South Lanarkshire Council. Alongside partners, Sustrans and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, South Lanarkshire have invested £1.25m in cycling routes within the last year. They have also demonstrated strong results in other areas such as park and ride, and electric vehicle chargers. Their route action plans address safety on rural roads and Cathkin relief road removes town centre traffic.
The tightly fought Public Transport Operator of the Year award went to Virgin Trains. Virgin and Stagecoach operate the East Coast and West Coast inter-city routes in a joint venture under the Virgin Trains brand. In 2016 achieved record passenger numbers on both east and west coast routes. Beam, Virgin Trains' onboard entertainment app, has helped improve satisfaction scores and eased demand for onboard Wi-Fi.
Inverness Airport picked up the award for Airport of the Year. Last year Inverness Airport underlined its increasingly important role to the Highland economy with a record 796,854 passengers, a 17.4% annual increase. Over the past year, the airport has undertaken a series of improvements to the terminal and facilities, with £900,000 of investment to improve the arrivals area, departure lounge, retail outlets and catering offering.
One special individual award was given out on the night. The Outstanding Contribution to Transport in Scotland Award went to Andrew Burns, who from served with great distinction on The City of Edinburgh Council for 18 years from 1999 to 2017. During that time he was the lead member on transport and then education before becoming leader of the council in 2012.
It was the 5 years he spent as the lead member on transport from 2001 to 2006 which impressed the judges as well as the way he continued to show leadership on transport issue throughout his time on the council. Andrew put sustainable transport at the heart of the Council's strategy and his legacy on road safety, cycling and pedestrian improvements will be long lasting.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said:
"I was delighted to attend my second Scottish Transport Awards and pay tribute to those often unsung heroes who help keep Scotland moving, usually during unsociable hours and challenging conditions.
"There is much to celebrate and also to look forward to across the transport sector in 2017. The coming year will see many new projects come online, boosting the economy and improving business opportunities and connectivity in the process.
"Congratulations to all of tonight's nominees and winners and to the organisers of such a successful event."
Full list of winners and commendations:-
The Scottish Local Transport Authority of the Year
South Lanarkshire Council
Most Effective Road Safety, Traffic Management and Enforcement Project sponsored by First Group
City of Edinburgh Council - School Streets Project
Best Practice in Travel to School and Work Schemes
Fife Council - WoW Walking in Travel to School and Work Ahead
Excellence in Walking & Public Realm
Living Streets Scotland - Walking to School with WOW and the Travel Tracker
Public Transport Operator of the Year
Virgin Trains
Best Bus Service
Stagecoach North Scotland - JET 727
Accessibility Project of the Year
Transport Scotland - Scotland Accessible Travel Framework
Achievements in Cycling
Glasgow City Council - Strategic Plan for Cycling 2016-2025
Contribution to Sustainable Transport
First Bus – A More Sustainable Future
Most Innovative Transport Project
Network Rail Infrastructure Projects for the ScotRail Alliance: Glasgow Queen Street Tunnel, Slab Track Renewal
Excellence in Technology and Innovation sponsored by BAM Nuttall
The Improvement Service - The National Entitlement Card Migration Project
Excellence in Transport Team/ Partnership
Aberdeenshire Council - GrassHOPPER Smart Ticketing
Excellence in Travel Information & Marketing
Midlothian Council - Out and About Midlothian
Scottish Airport of the Year
Inverness Airport
Frontline Employee of the Year
Ian Davidson - First Scotland East
Highly Commended: Martin Brand - First Glasgow
Highly Commended: First Aberdeen Travel Centre
Highly Commended: Matt Litton - Virgin Trains
Highly Commended: Colin McCort - CalMac Ferries
Highly Commended: Emily O'Dowd - First Glasgow Airport Express
Highly Commended: Mark Scott - Glasgow Airport
Highly Commended: Michael Steven - East Coast Buses
Outstanding contribution to Transport in Scotland
Andrew Burns
For further information contact Transport Times Events
Contact name: Kirsty Walton Tel: 0207 828 3804
Email: [email protected]
Notes to editors
- . The Scottish Transport Awards organised by Transport Times Events, are supported by the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland.
- The awards were judged by
- Transport Times Chief Executive and former government advisor Prof David Begg (Chair of the Judging Panel)
- Roy Brannen, Chief Executive, Transport Scotland
- Dr. George Hazel OBE, Director, George Hazel Consultancy
- Prof Iain Docherty, Professor of Public Policy and Governance, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow - Photos of the event / winners are available via http://www.greatscotphotography.com/ code: ttawards
