A familiar face behind the wheel for Bundaberg bus users, Maurice Dezotti is a finalist in the Queensland Bus Driver of the Year Awards.
The awards celebrate bus drivers across the state who keep communities on the move and who go the extra mile every day.
More than 1800 nominations were received and following an extensive shortlisting process a judging panel of industry experts selected three finalists in each distinct category.
Maurice is nominated for Regional Bus Driver of the Year having driven with Kinetic for 12 years and he was also previously honoured as Kinetic's Values Champion of the Year.
Maurice, who is multilingual, moved from Italy to Australia when he was six years old and he said he found his job very rewarding.
“Being a bus driver, I didn’t realise how rewarding it could be in so many ways,” he said.
“Especially those passengers, just seeing them come on the bus each day, they make me happy, I make them happy and that makes my day.”
He said he felt humble and excited about being nominated.
“I would feel on top of the world to know that people have appreciated the work that I’ve done and that’s what makes me happy,” Maurice said.
“People should vote for me because I’m always happy, always with a smile on my face when they come on board.
“I always make them feel welcome, always go out of my way to help them.”
Voting is open until 14 March with the winner in each category announced at the annual Queensland Bus Industry Council conference on Saturday 6 April.
For more information on the Queensland Bus Driver of the Year Awards and to vote, click here.
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