STUDENTS boarding the bus at Bournemouth University might have done double-takes when they saw who was at the wheel.

Shortly after finishing her education, Bella Tyroll was driving the Unibus service in her new role as a Morebus graduate trainee.

Bella, 23, only finished her studies in business and finance last year and quickly found a post with Morebus and its parent company the Go-Ahead group. She is now assistant operations manager, based in Poole.

Graduates are expected to learn how to drive a bus and Bella spent three weeks on the road.

“When you’re managing the drivers, if you haven’t a clue what you’re talking about then they tend to have little respect for your input. And I’m younger than most of them and female,” she said.

She admitted driving a double-decker was daunting. “I didn’t find it too difficult but it made me nervous to drive such a huge vehicle. I passed first time pretty well but it was just a confidence thing,” she added.

She said the experience had left her impressed by what drivers do. “I think it’s really impressive. I think it’s a lot of responsibility, it’s tiring and you’ve got the stress of other road users. I’ve got a lot of admiration for them,” she added.

Bella, originally from East Grinstead, is now involved in managing the Unibus route, with responsibility for recruitment and people management.

Morebus has been keen to recruit more women.

“Traditionally it’s a male dominated industry. I think the more women we can get in, the happier they’ll feel about it,” said Bella.

“I love my team. They’re really supportive,” she added.

Managing director Andrew Wickham said: “We quickly recognised Bella’s strengths – particularly when it comes to customer service – and she knows from her own experiences at BU exactly what it takes to provide high quality services for students, as well as for others wishing to travel across the region.

“This is an excellent example of how our graduate management programme works, and I’m delighted to see Bella’s career progressing so successfully.”

Richard Wintrip, BU travel plan co-ordinator, said “Bella is a fantastic addition to the Unibus service, which provides over a million passenger journeys each year to and from Bournemouth University. It’s fantastic that one of our own graduates is now part of the management team.”