A young bus fan had the experience of a lifetime at a depot where he took on the role of managing director for the day. 

Jacob Taylor, selected as McGill's Biggest Little Bus Fan, had an inside look at the operations of the Johnstone depot and participated in activities across different departments.

Jacob spent the day learning about bus operations, and maintenance and was introduced to the in-house training academy.

He even took part in some mock theory tests and visited an open-top bus tour which allowed him to sit in the driver’s seat of one of his favourite buses - the Enviro 200.

The highlight of it all was when a bus named after him was unveiled.

Jacob said: “Thank you to everyone at McGill’s for their time and showing me each area of the depot.

“My favourite part was going around Johnstone on the open-top bus. I also loved that I got to sit in the driver’s seat of one of my favourite types of buses.

“I was so surprised and excited to see my name on the front of one of the buses, that was really cool.

“I also got so much McGill’s merchandise along with tickets to the Monster Truck show.

“It really was the best day ever and I can’t wait to become a bus driver.”

The search for the Biggest Little Bus Fan began in March 2024 with McGill's receiving hundreds of entries from parents and guardians across the West.

Victoria Taylor, Jacob's mum, said: “I cannot thank McGill’s and especially the team at Johnstone enough for an amazingly wonderful day.

“Everyone has gone to so much effort and spent so much time with us explaining and showing us pretty much everything in the depot.

“Every single person could not have been nicer or kinder.

“When I saw Jacob’s name on the bus, I actually got a bit emotional at the lengths McGill’s had gone to in order to make the day so special.”

Robert Gibson, operational manager at McGill’s, said: “We were delighted to host Jacob and his family at our Johnstone Depot.

“Jacob’s passion for buses and his enthusiasm for learning about our operations were truly inspiring, his joy and curiosity were contagious, and it was a pleasure to see him so excited, especially during the open-top bus tour and when he discovered the bus named in his honour.

“The entire McGill’s team worked hard to make this day special for Jacob and it was a pleasure to present him with McGill’s Biggest Little Bus Fan certificate.”