Local bus driver wins national award for act of compassion

March 24, 2025

A Driver from Cambridgeshire’s biggest bus operator has been won a prestigious national award in recognition of his compassion in helping to provide assistance to a vulnerable young woman on his bus.

Lewis Mayo, from Stagecoach East, won a Stagecoach Star of the Month Award, in the category of ‘Doing the right thing’, after showing care and compassion for the young woman, who was clearly in distress – winning ahead of applicants from across the UK.

The 20 year-old woman boarded Lewis’s bus, asking to travel despite having no money. She was cold and had been sleeping rough, so he allowed her to board. On arrival at their destination, she asked to go back again, so that she could stay out of the cold weather.

However, upon arrival, Lewis realised that she had curled herself up into a ball and looked extremely pale, so he called 999 and requested an ambulance to revive her. The response was extremely quick and the paramedics managed to secure her condition.

Making the award, Darren Roe, Managing Director of Stagecoach East, said: “I am so proud of the thoughtful and compassionate way that Lewis approached what was a very difficult situation – and to the rest of the team and the emergency services who worked so quickly and professionally to offer what help they could.

“Our thoughts are with this young woman, and it just goes to show that, as people who run local buses, we are very much part of the local communities we serve – because they are our communities. As with our partnership with Businesses Against Abuse, our buses are safe-spaces, and our drivers will regularly go out of their way to help the most vulnerable members of our society.”

Buses and Businesses Against Abuse (BAA) is a unique partnership between Stagecoach East, the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and the Cambridge and Peterborough Rape Crisis Centre to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls throughout Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. All Stagecoach East’s buses are officially places of refuge for people fearing that they will be subject to abuse or assault, with signage on each bus to show the fact. All drivers are receiving training on how to recognise and help victims. Find out more about BAA here: https://www.cambs.police.uk/police-forces/cambridgeshire-constabulary/areas/campaigns/campaigns/businesses-against-abuse/