Gordon's replaced Butler and Blakey on the buses

In fact, Gordon is the toast of the bus companies after making the top three of a national drivers’ contest.

But the Bus Driver of the Year star reckons he has seen a few strange sights on his routes.

Gordon, aged 36, of Watch House Lane, Scawthorpe, is a fan of the 70s show On The Buses and has the old episodes on DVD at home.

The popular driver has scooped third place in the drivers’ British Championship awards out of 134,000 drivers nationally.

He said: “It may not be drivers chasing girls like in On the Buses, but you certainly get some strange things happening in this line of work sometimes.

“I’ve heard of cases of drivers really picking up their washing on the route, and I heard Reg Varney really had a public service vehicle licence.

“But the most bizarre thing that I’ve seen was when a lady with a baby buggy got on my bus once.

“She had been waving her arms to stop the bus and she was out of breath when she got on board, and she thanked me for stopping.

“She got her shopping out and put it in the luggage, and then tried to fold the buggy - but she’d not taken the child out.

“Then when she was getting off, she took the buggy and left the child! I had to hit the horn to get her to come back!“

Gordon has been driving in Doncaster for a year, with the operator Stagecoach, and previously worked in Leeds.

During his time as a driver he has entered the Bus Driver of the Year Association, run by the major bus companies, several times.

He is a previous winner but in the finals in Blackpool this year finished in third place.

Drivers are judged on bus theory, highway code, basic mechanical knowledge and knowledge of disability discrimination laws.

They are also checked on their driving and how they handle their passengers and keep them informed of things such as road diversions.

“I like to think I’m good at what I do,“ said Gordon. “I wanted to be a driver since I was a young lad. My granddad was a long distance lorry driver, so perhaps it runs in the family.“