National Express West Midlands has rewarded a Tipton man for over 40 years of impeccable service to bus customers in the Black Country. And Eric Tromans, Team Leader for Sandwell and Dudley, was given his award by the Secretary of State for Transport.

Grant Shapps, was delighted to be able to hand Eric his certificate on a recent visit to the National Express Pensnett bus garage. Eric was not expecting this at all:

“I was very surprised and actually I got a bit emotional!” he said. “What an honour - beautiful. It was a lovely gesture and very much appreciated.”

Eric Tromans has worked at the bus company that is now National Express since 1979. He oversees the bus stations at Dudley and West Bromwich. Eric is described by colleagues as “an iconic figure at the bus station to drivers and customers”. He knows many customers by name, knows what bus they usually get and he always makes sure to tell them about any changes they need to know.

Eric’s years of experience, coupled with his dedication to providing the best possible service for bus customers, means he is an absolute expert at juggling things to keep buses running smoothly whenever there are problems on the roads.

Over the years, his rock-solid calmness and caring attitude have protected and reassured customers and colleagues throughout every kind of disruption, including protest marches, rolling road blocks and weather disruption.

Richard Smith, National Express Operations Manager for Wolverhampton and Pensnett, says:

“Eric is a gentleman and his customer service skills are second to none due to the wealth and breadth of knowledge he has acquired over the years.

“Eric is also a great help to the senior management team - he always gives us feedback and comes up with solutions to operational issues.

“We’re very proud of him and I’m so glad we could recognise his excellent work with this award.”

Download image in high resolution