Birmingham man hailed as ‘Unsung hero’ at major award ceremony

A Birmingham bus worker has been hailed an ‘unsung hero’ at the UK Bus Awards for his commitment to combating crime on the city’s bus network.

44 year old Tony Dallison, from Quinton, leads National Express’ Safer Travel project and his dedication to the role has helped reduce crime on the bus network to its lowest level for four years.

He was presented with his award at a ceremony in London last week (16 November) after he was nominated in secret by his co workers.

Tony said: “We were nominated for a scheme with West Midlands Police, but I had no idea I’d also been nominated for an ‘Unsung Hero’ award. I was stunned when they announced my name and am still in shock today! It’s great to be nominated by my colleagues and I look forward to delivering many more Safer Travel successes across Birmingham.”

Tony has forged partnerships with schools across the region and provides presentations on Safe Travel to approximately 12,000 schoolchildren every year. He also worked with Birmingham City Council to forge the first agreement between a private bus company and a Local Authority to identify and prosecute people who smoke on the bus. Other projects he was commended for include:

• Developing a ‘code of conduct’ for Birmingham’s schools outlining what behaviour is acceptable on the bus network.
• Working with West Midland’s Police to develop sensors which tap into bus CCTV and beam live images to nearby police cars. 
• Creating the ‘See something, Say something’ text line with Centro and West Midlands Police. This allows passengers to text details of anti social behaviour on the bus direct to the Police and the bus company. 

Dave Kaye, Managing Director for National Express Bus, said: “The awards are a platform to celebrate the unsung heroes of the bus industry and we’re very proud that Tony has been recognised by his peers for the pioneering work he’s done in Birmingham. The Safer Travel scheme has significantly reduced bus crime across the region and is supporting a new generation of bus passengers through educational visits and presentations.”

Crime on and around the region’s bus network has fallen by 54.5 per cent over the last three years and excluding vandalism, there is now just one offence in every 126,187 bus rides.

Published 23rd November 2010