Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC) attended Euro Bus Expo for the first time in 2024 and used the trade show to further promote its campaigns on tapping into the recruitment opportunities through a diverse workforce.
The organisation’s period poverty campaign, launched at its national summit in Manchester earlier this year, was of special focus, with a pledge board and map charting commitments made by attendees.
Period poverty, where people who menstruate struggle to gain access to the products they need, has risen from 12% pre-pandemic to 21% post-pandemic, according to WiBC.
The campaign addresses “one of the basics” that workplaces need to get right to attract a diverse workforce, according to Louise Cheeseman, founder and Chair of WiBC.
“We need to see senior people recognising this and taking the lead on it,” she says. “They have to be brave and comfortable to have those conversations and challenge the things that will push a change in culture.”
Euro Bus Expo has been a great platform for that, according to Lorna Murphy, Director of Buses at Transport for London and Director of WiBC, and the organisation’s presence has been of strong interest.
“This is our first time here and it has been a fantastic opportunity to have face-to-face conversations with a captive audience,” she adds. “It’s far more powerful to engage with those who would not normally go out of their way to discuss diversity.
“Having those conversations, trying to encourage delegates to be part of WiBC is really important, and it’s vital for us to put these kinds of feelers out at every opportunity.”
