Last reviewed 15 November 2023
Although more than half of bus customers are women, only around 10% of the people who work in the industry in London are female.
Aiming to create a more inclusive service that is representative of customers, the Women in Bus and Coach initiative will challenge and eliminate barriers currently faced by women in the profession.
The changes that the organisers are calling for will help to make sure that women have equal access to a career in the industry and a workplace designed around their needs. They want to create a national network to encourage, represent, support and retain women in the bus and coach profession.
Corporate members supporting the initiative include Alexander Dennis, First Bus, Abellio, National Express, Stagecoach, Volvo and Transport for London (TfL).
Janette Bell, Managing Director at First Bus, said: “The positive action we’re taking is beginning to make a difference, but we recognise that there is still more to do, and ‘Women in Bus and Coach’ is a great example of how the industry can support progress in this area.”
The national launch of the initiative took place at the Hilton Metropole, Birmingham, on 10 November 2023. The day-long event followed a London launch earlier this year.
Louise Cheeseman, Director of Buses at TfL, who chairs Women in Bus and Coach, said: “All women should have equal access to these opportunities and a workplace designed around their needs. We’ve made significant progress in recent years in recruiting more women into the industry, and I can’t wait to continue working with stakeholders to launch this charter and achieve both a professional environment and culture, and a bus and coach service that work for women.”
The National Charter represents the commitment by the bus and coach profession to making tangible improvements to gender equality and representation across all levels covering recruitment, retention, and access to career progression.
Full details are available here.