Bus driver Jonathan Smallman was this week named Nottingham City Transport's Driver of the Year after being described as "100 per cent perfection" by a mystery traveller. In light of his win, Nottinghamshire Live hopped on his 35 route from Nottingham to Bulwell to see what made him so special.
Whether people were stepping on the bus with a smile or a scowl, wearing earphones or on the phone, Jonathan peppered his passengers with pleasantries throughout his near two-hour roundtrip to Bulwell from Nottingham city centre. He greeted people with a warm 'hello' and an equally warm 'bye' or 'take care'.
This had a notable effect on a number of the passengers who were trickling onto the longest bus in the NCT fleet (some 40 feet). Whilst many were not regular enough to recognise Jonathan, they're initial impressions were positive. "He's smiley and said 'hello how are you?'" said one student, who catches the bus from Wollaton Vale. "It makes your day a little bit in a way".
