Five decades on the buses for Preston boss Bob Dunn

He knows how to drive them, how to repair them, and put them at the heart of a successful company.

Which makes him emminently qualified to be the boss of Preston Bus.

Bob is an experienced MD with a demonstrated history in the transportation industry.

He has even run his own companies and taken time out to gain a business degree at university.

Bob has been in the industry for 50 years – but has no intention of putting his feet up yet even though he is 66 and could retire.

He said: “I’ve not even thought about it.

“I need to keep my mind alert - I need to keep busy. I’m afraid to give up I suppose.

“I would miss the challenge and the interaction with people.”

Bob started in the industry at the ageof 16 in his native East Midlands. He took a job as a apprentice engineer and never looked back.

He said: “I was very much an under achiever at school

I wanted to get a job and do something with my life.

“My dad used to mend trucks and so on so I was always interested.”

Bob started off in the Nottingham/Derby area with a nationalised bus firm.

By 1976 he was made manager aged just 22. He knew as he climbed the ladder that he had found something he really enjoyed.

In the 80s he started his own bus and coach business with his wife Carol. It was a success - and they eventually sold the company 22 years later.

Bob has done everything. From driver to engineer to conductor.

He knows the bus industry inside out.

He later got involved and invested in Midlands-based Rotala, now the parent company of Preston Bus.

Preston Bus, which like many bus firms was council-owned at the time, was council owned, was sold to Stagecoach in the 2000s.

In 2011 it was sold to Rotala – and Bob became the North West regional MD in the same year.

Preston Bus now employs 913 staff and Bob is proud to run the company.

With the emphasis being placed more and more on public transport and reducing emissions, it seemed like 2020 was going to be a good year.

And then the coronavirus pandemic struck.

The whole country ground to a halt in March, with many firms and services closed for months. Some are only just getting back up to full speed.

Public transport is back - but with face coverings and social distancing the norm.

It has meant significant losses, and the prospect of operating half-empty buses, coaches and and trains for some time.

Government advice has switched to “avoid public transport if you can” - dealing operators a further blow.

The Covid-19 crisis hit Preston Bus hard. Many staff were furloughed, but Bob is proud to say there has not been a single redundancy.

He has spent the last few months between the office and working from home.

There have been frequent team meetings online and video conferencing.

He said: “We had to very quickly reduce the size of the operation and put staff on furlough.

“We had to make quick decisions and find new ways of working.

“We are bringing people back into the business all the time.”

Preston Bus resumed services at 25 per cent capacity and was back up to around 50 per cent capacity on buses owing to social distancing rules before the schools went back earlier in September.

Meanwhile the strict procedures and cleaning regimes have become very familiar to all staff.

Bob said: “I have every confidence we can come through this.

“It has been challenging but we have found new ways of working.

“The key thing is to assure people that it is safe and keep upping our game.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure everything is clean and safe.”

Rotala Plc is an AIM listed company, operating commercial and subsidised bus routes. Its clients are the public, local authorities, businesses and private individuals.

Its presence in the UK concentrates in three main areas: Preston and the North West; the West Midlands and the South West.

Bases at airports allow for country-wide coverage.

Each area of the UK is unique, and has its own specific transport requirements.

For that reason, Rotala operates local depots run by managers with in-depth knowledge of local areas and markets.

Rotala empowers local managers to make their own decisions, delivering area focussed,

high-quality services.

Other Rotala Plc companies and brands include Diamond Bus, and Wessex.