A popular North Staffordshire delivery driver is attracting a host of five-star Evri reviews. Gary Jones, known to many as 'Bandit Gaz', began working as a delivery driver in Audley seven years ago, and is now a famous face to those on his current round in Porthill, Bradwell and Wolstanton.
Gary, 51, received his nickname after losing the use of his left arm in a motorbike accident in 1989. He now lives with an upper left arm amputation. “Everyone knows me as ‘Bandit Gaz’,” he said, “obviously due to the one-arm bandit.”
Gary is being rewarded by Evri with a new coat given to drivers who have a five-star rating. He told StokeonTrentLive the Tory government at the time “pulled the rug” from underneath him and forced him into work.
Gary said: “Way back when the government decided that disabled people really needed a job, I was offered a job at Hermes at the time as a cover courier. The first day I was there I took three days backlog — around 300 parcels — and I managed to get most of them done and they were quite impressed with the amount I had been able to do and offered me a permanent round straight away.”
Gary lists being greeted by people “just coming out of the shower or bath” amongst the funniest parts of the job. But one memory ‘sticks out a mile,’ he says. “When I first started there was a farm I delivered to and he didn’t like trespassers,” Gary said. “I was delivering a parcel and he greeted me with a shotgun.
“It was uncocked, but it was there, over his left arm and ready to go. Since then I’ve put stickers on my car to show that I’m a courier, so I’ve never had that greeting again. It resolved quite easily, I explained I was just delivering a parcel, but it was a shock.”
Despite the shock, Gary, originally from Northwich, Cheshire, fell in love with the Audley area he was delivering to and moved to the village. He also met his partner, Emma, 38, at Evri, and the pair now have adjoining rounds.
Gary now delivers around 2,000 parcels per month. He said: “Big boxes and really heavy items I struggle with, but we go up to 17kg and I can manage about 20kg. It’s completely manageable.”
He added that he enjoys getting to know his customers and meeting friendly faces at the door, and that he always carries a pocketful of dog treats. “Dogs can’t bite when they’re eating,” he said.