Devon & Cornwall

Signalling the way forward; Ron uses sign language to communicate with passenger

RON Formes (68) a bus driver from Bideford, North Devon has been hailed a superstar by a member of the public for using sign language to communicate with a young passenger using his bus.

So impressed with his attempts to communicate with her 24-year-old son Aaron, who has autistic tendencies and no speech, Mrs Bennett from Fremington first wrote to the North Devon Journal to publicly acknowledge his efforts to communicate with him; she then nominated him as a superstar through First Devon and Cornwall's Superstar scheme. Mrs Bennett explains: "My son has no speech and it can be difficult for him to communicate with others: he uses a special device that speaks for him and he also has a card with the name of the bus stop he needs to get off at, and this helps him - and the drivers - when he boards the bus to college. He gets along fine, but it was really touching to see one of the drivers making the effort to communicate with him. On this particular morning when Aaron paid for his ticket the driver, Ron, signed 'thank you' back to him. It was so lovely to see someone trying their hand at sign language; it's not a hard thing to learn, but it made a massive difference to us.'

In nominating Ron, Mrs Bennett has ensured that his good service is recognised and rewarded. He has been named as a 'First Devon and Cornwall Superstar' and he has been given a certificate and the chance to win a five star luxury holiday in recognition of the five star service that he has delivered. Mrs Bennett has received a month's free bus travel as thanks for taking the time to nominate Ron.

Ron, who has been driving buses for the past 31 years, explains that he's only recently started to learn sign language, using a book to teach himself. He says: "I'm really interested in learning to sign; it's a fascinating language and while it takes years to become proficient I've learnt enough from my book to be able to say hello, thank you and goodbye.'

Marc Reddy, Managing Director of First Devon and Cornwall, adds: "Ron is a very special individual who does what he can to go the extra mile for his customers. For this reason I am delighted that he's been nominated as a superstar. He's a very cheerful bus driver who does a lot of work in his local community, so he thoroughly deserves the praise.'

Outside of work, Ron is currently raising money for the Caroline Thorpe Ward at Barnstaple Hospital by growing his hair and having it permed. He explains, "I do what I can to help the local community. It's great having a job that keeps you at the heart of what is happening locally. Through the course of my job I meet a really diverse selection of people, and generally I have a great time. I took up driving in 1978 and haven't looked back since. The people on my routes are really friendly and sometimes we all have a sing along as we drive along the road; it's great fun.'