Meet the teenage girl who may be Britain’s youngest bus driver aged just 18.
Ellie Rose Houghton passed her PCV bus test with flying colours and is now driving an 87-seater double-decker bus.
Ellie had vowed to never join the family travel business, but decided after attending college ‘everything clicked together’ and wanted to drive buses for a living.
After passing three practical, two theory and showcase examinations in just eight weeks over the summer, nothing could seem to faze the teenager.
But the biggest fear in her new role is her first school run with the pupils at South Holderness Technology College in Preston, East Yorkshire.
Ellie told the Hull Daily Mail : "Just hours after passing my final exams, I was out there ferrying kids home from school."
"It was strange actually driving the older kids because some of the kids were saying ‘look at her, I look older than her’.
"I was very scared of that, so I made my dad come with me."
Her family run company, Ellie Rose Travel, was named after her and sends 33 double-decker buses and eight coaches on the school runs every weekday across Hull and East Yorkshire.
The business was set up by her grandmother, Sheila, and late grandfather, James Houghton, and Ellie had always told him that she didn’t fancy driving buses.
But when he passed away in 2012, Ellie later decided her career was written in the stars and take up the wheel in her grandfather’s memory.
The youngster is no stranger to transport though – she started racing stockcars when she was just aged 13 – a reason she says for not passing her car driving test the first time.
She said: "I was definitely over-confident and just didn’t do well on my first driving test. I can’t remember how I failed, but I didn’t crash the car."
After going to college, Ellie finally realised that the business which was named after her would be her true calling.
She said: "After finishing my A-levels, I knew I wanted to work in business, but I knew I didn’t want to go to University.
"I was really elated and over the moon to finally pass my bus test.
"The 90 minute practical felt like the longest time in my entire life – it felt like an entire day."
Despite passing her driving test on the second occasion, she was elated to be told she had passed the six-part exam with flying colours.
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The family, including her parents Mandy and Shane Houghton, 50, were over the moon after Ellie passed the test.
Shane, who also passed his test when he was 18 – 32 years ago – took on role as director of the family company after his father passed away over six years ago.
Dad-of-three Shane said: "I remember one time when Ellie was about three years old and was being looked after in the office by my mum and when Ellie was asked her name by a customer she replied ‘Ellie Rose Travel’.
"It’s great Ellie will be driving buses for us – we are all delighted."
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