FORMER Gurkhas are celebrating a decade of bringing military discipline to a bus depot.

A total of 20 former Nepalese soldiers either drive buses or work in the Colchester operations control room for First, including controller Kira Gurung who served in the British Army for 18 years including tours of duty in The Falklands, Bosnia, Brunei, Cyprus, Germany, Hong Kong and South Korea.

He said: "We were very proud to serve in the British Army and we’ve integrated really well into the local Colchester community.

“I moved to Colchester with my family in 2006 and went to see the local management team for a job on the buses.

"With my military qualifications and experience, I was given the opportunity to start work as a driver and have never looked back.

"I now work in the operations department, overseeing the daily running of our services here in Essex."

The town is home to approximately 150 families of ex-Gurkhas and Mr Gurung, who is still an active member of the 254 Medical Regiment of the Army Reserves, said he urged his fellow soldiers to join him with First.

He said: "As more of my Gurkha colleagues began to settle in Colchester, I encouraged them to apply to First Essex, as many of them had experience driving whilst in the forces.

"Now we have 13 drivers, all from the same regiment, plus another seven former Gurkhas from other regiments. I suppose I am looked on as a bit of a father figure in recruiting and looking after my colleagues."

First Essex managing director Alex Jones said: "We’re delighted to have Kiran and our other ex-military colleagues as part of the First Essex family. "They are always very professional and dedicated, exemplifying the best of what we look for in our staff.

"They are also very popular with our customers – their welcoming hellos and smiles to passengers go down very well, and provide a very reassuring presence.

"I think careers in transport suit ex-military personnel in particular because of the discipline and efficiency that such roles entail.

"We find ex-military personnel, with the attention to detail and strong work ethic bred through military training, do extremely well in a service like ours, where timing, precision and a right first time approach is key.”

All the former soldiers were invited to wear their military uniforms with pride on Armed Forces Day on Saturday to celebrate their years of service.