Wairarapa Bus Driver Is The Best In New Zealand

MEDIA RELEASE July 12 2009

Wairarapa Bus Driver Is The Best In New Zealand

It’s official – the Wairarapa is home to New Zealand’s best and safest bus driver.

Masterton man Peter Krivan, who drives coaches long distance for Tranzit Coachlines Wairarapa, competed in the third annual Tranzqual Bus Roadeo this weekend and was named the overall winner at a function this evening.

A total of 26 top bus and coach drivers tested their skills during the 2009 Bus Roadeo, held at the Ellerslie Event Centre in Auckland and hosted by NZ Bus. Each driver had to twice drive around a technically difficult course. They were also tested on their customer service panache, road theory knowledge and ability to detect bus faults.

Peter won the practical driving section and his high marks for skilful steering propelled him into first place.

The second overall winner was last year’s winner Ian Anderson of Hamilton’s Go Bus while third place went to Mohammed Khan who drives for Howick & Eastern Buses in Auckland. The customer service award went to Havelock North driver Barrie Gledhill of Nimon & Sons, bus detection award to Auckland-based Johnston’s Coachlines driver Peter Simpkin and road code theory award to Stan Burton of North Star in Auckland.

Peter said this evening that he loved his job through and through.

“I love driving, I love meeting the customers, I love being on the road. You should do what you’re good at and for me that’s driving.”

Peter has been with Tranzit Coachlines for five and a half years and drives customers all over the North Island. Before he got behind a coach wheel he spent many years as a freight truck driver, both here and in Australia.

He competed in last year’s bus roadeo so knew what to expect and this year was out to win. However he was up against very steep competition, especially in last year’s winner Ian Anderson.

“I’m very pleased that I won because it was pretty intense. But even though it’s a fierce competition we still have fun. It’s great spending time with the other drivers.”

All the competitors were selected to compete in the Bus Roadeo because of their low complaint and accident rates, great customer service and professionalism.

About Bus Roadeos
Bus roadeos originated in the United States more than 40 years ago. Roadeos were created as a way to challenge drivers to keep their skills current, to encourage continued mastery of equipment operation and to set an example for the best safety practices and customer service.

About Tranzqual
Tranzqual is the Industry Training Organisation (ITO) responsible for setting the training standards for the road transport, warehousing, freight forwarding, passenger services, ports and stevedoring industries. We ensure people in these industries have the best opportunities to learn, by developing training resources and supporting companies and trainees to achieve their training outcomes. We work with employers to help plan industry training and we actively promote career opportunities within these industries. www.tranzqual.org.nz

About NZ Bus
NZ Bus is New Zealand’s leading passenger transport provider. With operations in Whangarei, Auckland and Wellington, NZ Bus provides 55 to 66 million trips a year. We aim to be the way people in our communities choose to travel through introducing innovation, demonstrating excellence in operations and delivering the highest quality service

ENDS

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