The 42-year-old from Stuttgart is a master of his trade. He has been a bus driver for 20 years and puts his heart and soul into it. "I particularly enjoy the interaction with passengers. I'm always happy when I can help one passenger or another," explains Konstantinos Mousolarikos. This makes him very popular with his passengers, who are happy when "their" bus driver takes them from A to B in Ludwigsburg: "He is always very friendly and helpful," says one of his passengers. "He is careful and always has an open ear for me," emphasizes another.
He has a demanding job to master: Mousolarikos steers the buses, which weigh several tons, through the often heavy traffic on a total of 23 different routes, while at the same time always having to keep an eye on the timetable, which is not easy with the many roadworks in Ludwigsburg. He showed particular sensitivity one November morning last year when he came across a three-year-old boy dressed only in pyjamas at a bus stop in Ludwigsburg. The attentive driver didn't hesitate for long and asked all passengers to get off and take the next bus. "I then brought the boy onto the bus with me and called the police," says Mousolarikos.
District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier emphasizes the importance of the profession for society: "The profession of bus driver is rarely publicly recognized, but it cannot be valued highly enough. He also emphasized what a demanding job they do every day: "Even in critical situations, you have to keep your nerve, be prudent and lend a helping hand to passengers. My thanks go to Mr. Mousolarikos and his colleagues," continued Allgaier.
Ronald Bäuerle from LVL is also delighted with the award for his popular bus driver: "We warmly congratulate Mr. Mousolarikos on his success and the award for his achievements. This is also in recognition of the achievements of his LVL colleagues". He also emphasized how important the profession of bus driver is for the success of the transport turnaround: "Under no circumstances should the human component in bus transport be ignored: it is right at the top of the agenda!".
VVS Managing Director Thomas Hachenberger also emphasizes the responsibility of bus drivers in the corona crisis: "The drivers are the backbone and the figurehead of public transport in the network districts. Without their daily commitment during the pandemic, it would not be possible to ensure the mobility of the general public - whether to the city, to the shops, to work or to the doctor," says Hachenberger. The campaign also aims to promote the profession of bus driver more strongly. "As local transport services in the Stuttgart region continue to expand, the need for qualified personnel is also increasing," Hachenberger continues.
The VVS has been organizing the "Bus Driver of the Year" competition since 2004 and this year is the 18th time it has been held. Passengers were able to submit their suggestions for Bus Driver of the Year online. A jury consisting of representatives from transport companies, public transport authorities and the VVS then selected the "Bus Driver of the Year 2021", one in each of the five districts in the network area and the city of Stuttgart.
