Plymouth teen is youngest bus driver in the country

A TEENAGER from Plymouth has become the youngest bus driver in the country to qualify in his profession.

Aidan Barratt, aged 18, of Plymouth Citybus has become the youngest driver in England to qualify in a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC).

Brian George, Plymouth Citybus traffic manager, said: "I am delighted that the hard work and effort put in by Aidan and our driver training department has been worthwhile.

"The tests were new to all concerned and Aidan took the test somewhat in the dark. He will shortly finish his training and will be driving our buses on various routes in the Plymouth area."

Recent new legislation means that from September this year, all professional bus and coach drivers in EU countries will be required to pass the Driver CPC making them legally qualified to carry passengers for any bus or coach company.

New bus drivers are required to pass four test modules before they are eligible to carry passengers.

The modules cover a multiple choice Theory Test, Hazard Perception, Case Studies, Practical Driving test and a Practical Demonstration of vehicle safety. Aidan passed all four modules with the Driving Standards Agency and gained his Driver CPC Qualification card with a big smile and a pat on the back from his colleagues at Plymouth Citybus.