Off the road

Bunhill

In the Birmingham area, a number of bus driver shareholders are considering the merits and demerits of National Express's takeover bid for the West Midlands Travel group. One of the more senior folk there has other things on his mind, though. Three weeks ago, managing director Joe Duffy was banned from driving a car after a drink-driving offence.

Union members have murmured that Mr Duffy should lose his job, as do most bus drivers in similar circumstances, and thereby miss out on his share option bonanza. But management is sticking by him. "You don't need a driving licence to be a managing director," one director muttered. Some form of licence wouldn't be a bad idea, though.