STAGECOACH bus drivers in Oxfordshire have been crowned the best in the UK for 'eco-friendly' and safe driving for a third year running.

County colleagues beat 18 Stagecoach regions to retain The Christopher Ball Memorial Award after employees demonstrated 'consistently strong driving performance'.

Christopher Ball, Stagecoach 'ecodriver project manager', worked to roll out GreenRoad eco-driving technology to Stagecoach across the UK.

Following his passing in 2014 the company paid tribute with an awards scheme in his memory.

The GreenRoad system is installed on all Stagecoach vehicles and uses a traffic-light LED system on the dashboard which gives drivers instant feedback on their driving manoeuvres, encouraging smoother, safer, and more fuel-efficient driving.

Every ‘event’ such as harsh braking or excessive speed is recorded and the driver produces a score. To achieve fleet elite status drivers must have driven at least 500 hours and had a score of five or under throughout the year.

Forty-six per cent of Oxfordshire drivers were awarded 'fleet elite' status and, of those, almost a fifth achieved the 'super gold' badge for maintaining the highest standards for four consecutive years.