“We bid for the green bus fund last year which covers the difference between a conventional diesel to an electric; we were unsuccessful,” he said.

“Electric would be the next step for us but I can’t see anyone making the commercial decision to switch without funding.

"The other big unknown is the life of the battery and what to do once the battery life ends.”

Eight-week driver training ends with exams

Driving a bus is no easy feat and all new recruits at Stagecoach go through an extensive eight-week training programme which ends with an exam that they must pass to continue working for the company.

Once the drivers pass they are assigned a mentor driver to help them gain experience on the roads.

They do not go out on their own until the trainer, mentor and driver are all satisfied.

In addition to the initial training, all 750 drivers at Stagecoach East undergo annual refresher courses and CPC training.

Random alcohol and drug checks are carried out throughout the year.

While it’s rare for a test to return positive, Stagecoach does have a disciplinary process in place to deal with them.

“Each case is judged on its merits but we consider it serious misconduct which includes summary dismissal,” said Campbell.

There are four main depots in the East region where buses come back to be re-fuelled and cleaned every night.

A full inspection plus maintenance checks are scheduled every 21 days.

Drivers work various shifts and they can drive up to five-and-a-half hours on domestic routes before they have to take a break of 40 minutes.

Routes are planned through the commercial department. Roadworks are a particular challenge with 20-50 scheduled on routes every day across the region.

All buses are tracked throughout the day and a dedicated controller can make adjustments and contact the driver when needed.

But the lack of notice from public authorities about road works can be “a real nightmare” for Campbell.

“I would like to see a better understanding with public authorities so we can make public transport work,” he said. “Without this we cannot be as successful as we want to be.”