Tributes have been paid to a "champion" of the transport industry who has died battling a long illness.

Andrew Wickham MBE dedicated his entire working life to the sector, spending almost 40 years in the transport and remaining at the helm of Bluestar's parent company Go South Coast until his death.

He was known for his exceptional leadership, which significantly increased bus travel popularity along the south coast, making it one of the highest in the UK.

Mr Wickham was awarded an MBE for his services to the bus industry.

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He graduated from Aston University in 1987 with a BSc (Hons) in Transport Operation and Planning.

His career began while he was still at university with Brighton Borough Transport in 1986.

Mr Wickham then held various roles across the country, including at London General Transport Services and Plymouth Citybus.

In 2011, he was appointed managing director of Go-Ahead Group-owned Go South Coast, which operates Southern Vectis, Morebus, Unibus, Bluestar, Unilink, Salisbury Reds, Swindon's Bus Company, Damory, Tourist Coaches, Excelsior Coaches, and Hants & Dorset Trim.

Under Mr Wickham's leadership, Go South Coast received numerous accolades, including Large Operator of the Year.

A Bluestar spokesperson said: "When asked for the secret behind his extraordinarily successful career, he was always humble - repeatedly citing the monumental efforts of his team members.

"His outstanding leadership drove forward the entire Go South Coast team - with colleagues at our operators across the region utterly dedicated to Andrew’s vision to improve services and increase the popularity of bus travel."

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Mr Wickham was also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

A spokesperson for the Hampshire-based Xelagroup said: "As friends and colleagues, we are extremely saddened to read of the passing of Go South Coast’s Managing Director, Andrew Wickham.

"Andrew was a lovely gentleman who had a true passion and energy for the industry, which was recognised with being awarded an MBE by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal.

"As a company we have worked alongside Andrew on many occasions, and in particular our co-founder, Philip Blair and Andrew worked alongside each other in the earlier years of their careers at Brighton Borough Transport, where Philip mentored Andrew.

"Andrew has always been a great friend and colleague and will be truly missed."

Ben Murray, finance director, will be taking over as interim managing director at Go South Coast.