The award, which is open to all UK and Irish bus operators, celebrates the strong performance of Lothian over the last 12 months, which includes delivering an incredible 110 million customer journeys in 2023.

Sarah Boyd, Managing Director of Lothian said: “I am absolutely delighted that Lothian have been recognised as Bus Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards.

“Our people make Lothian a great place to work, and this award is a testament to their hard work and dedication to ‘getting it right’ in delivering for our customers on a daily basis.

“This award belongs to them, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of our people for their passion, commitment and loyalty.”

At the event in London, Lothian Driver Thomas Fair was also highly commended in the Frontline Employee category for his fast actions when a customer went into labour on his bus.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I’m incredibly proud that Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams have won Bus and Tram Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards 2024 in London yesterday evening.

“The fact that our city took home the top prize in both categories is testament to the quality of our integrated, green and affordable transport network which serves our visitors and residents day in and day out.

“Our bus and tram services are key to creating a better connected, environmentally friendly and sustainable city for all – and to meeting our ambitious 2030 climate targets. I’m clear that improving and expanding these networks remains a key priority for the Capital. We’re very fortunate to have such talented, dedicated and hardworking colleagues working to keep Edinburgh moving and they have my sincere thanks.”

Across 2023, Lothian delivered over 110 million customer journeys, which represented a 17% increase from 2022. As a result, Lothian was able to return a dividend of £3.2m to shareholders.

Lothian was also awarded the Gold Employer Recognition Scheme Award from the MoD and picked up the silver award in the Employer of the Year category at the Scottish Veterans Awards.

In September 2023, Lothian announced an investment of over £24m for 50 fully electric double deck buses from Volvo, to underpin its ‘Driving Towards Net Zero’ strategy. The first of these vehicles entered service on the 8 September this year.

In addition, Lothian trained 450 drivers across 2023 with East Coast buses driver Thomas Gilhooley securing first place at the UK Bus Driver of the Year Finals in Blackpool last month.