A HAMPSHIRE coach driver has picked up a top award from National Express.

Oscar Cotton who drives for Fareham-based Lucketts Travel was named as the firm’s driver of the month in July last year, ahead of more than 2,000 rivals across the UK and he has now been named driver of the year for 2017.

The 28-year-old was invited to a track day at Rockingham Motor Speedway to celebrate his success, along with the 11 other drivers of the month. The drivers were tested on everything from their driving skills to customer service and Oscar came out on top.

Oscar, who learnt how to drive coaches through Lucketts’ in-house training academy, said: “Winning driver of the month was amazing enough so to win this is the icing on the cake. I really enjoy what I do so it’s an extra bonus to win awards for it.”

Lucketts runs more than 100 journeys every day on behalf of National Express and has received the firm’s Golden Spanner award three times for the way it maintains its vehicles.

Oscar is one of several drivers from Lucketts who takes the steering wheel for the national coach firm. Just last month another of Lucketts’ drivers, Stephen Small, also picked up a coveted driver of the month title.