NEXT time you board a bus in Chester, a published author might greet you from behind the wheel.

Bus driver Dave Jones, from Wrexham, won a competition organised by Arriva challenging drivers to become the next JK Rowling or Nick Hornby by writing a short story or poem.

Dave, who drives the number nine bus covering Blacon and Piper’s Ash, was unveiled as the winner and presented with a new laptop computer from Arriva bosses.

His winning entry described a day in the life of a bus driver.

Dave, 60, said: ‘I enjoyed doing it. I’ve never written stories before but I didn’t find it any problem. It just seemed to fall into place.

‘The laptop is being used by my grandson. It’s become a family computer.’

Dave has kept up the scribing since his win, writing a poem for his wife.

The competition was the brainchild of Arriva revenue inspector Sheldon Barnet, through his work as a trade union learning representative.