The coach and bus industry worked hard to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, with campaigns to highlight existing contributions to the sector and pledges to increase the number of women working within it being prominent.
Women in Bus and Coach (WIBC) launched a Spotlight On… campaign on 7 March. That work underlines women’s efforts and successes in roles including to driving, engineering and management.
Four case studies are already published on the WIBC website. They showcase Go-Ahead London driver Rachael Ayegba; Milligans Coach Travel Transport Manager, driver and apprentice mechanic Lynsey Milligan; Marshalls Coaches driver Carole Osbourne; and Transport UK London Bus Operations Manager Samantha Teggart.
WIBC Chair and Founder Louise Cheeseman says that the Spotlight On… campaign “aims to showcase the exceptional women who are driving innovation, leading teams, and making a significant impact across the industry.”
Meanwhile, Women in Transport in partnership with First Bus organised an Inclusive Cab Summit in Leicester on 5 March. That event saw 70 people attend, including representative of multiple operators and vehicle manufacturers. A further summit will be hosted by Chapman Seating in West Bromwich during October.
On the same day, the Society of Operations Engineers unveiled a partnership with the Bus Centre of Excellence and the Confederation of Passenger Transport to encourage women into coach and bus engineering roles. Each party will contribute skills and time to the initiative, which also looks to attract more women participants to the IRTE Skills Challenge.
In the coach industry, the UK Coach Operators Association (UKCOA) on 4 March formally launched its WIBC sub-group via a session delivered at the UKCOA conference by Williams Coaches Director Rose Williams. She leads the sub-group and sits on UKCOA’s board.
UKCOA announced the initiative in December 2023, with Membership and Administration Officer Laura Li at that time noting that the sub-group will “consider how to eliminate the barriers to entry and create an industry and environment that appeals to women – and what we can do to push that forward.”
Also in the coach field, various operators highlighted the contributions to their businesses made by women. Bakers Dolphin, Chalkwell Coach Hire, PC Coaches and Three Star Coaches were among those, with Three Star Coaches Company Secretary Isabelle Dudley noting that three of its women employees are “the driving force” behind the Luton business.
Elsewhere on the operator front, the Go-Ahead Group set out a target of achieving 50% gender equality by 2035 in its bus division. It will invest £8 million in the creation of inclusive environments and training opportunities and aims to recruit 1,500 new women drivers.
Go-Ahead’s regional bus operating companies were quick to promote that group-wide initiative, with Go North East noting that since launch of its Elite Driver Training Academy in January, the business has already seen the number of women applicants rise by 65%. It will hold a women-only recruitment day on 21 March, Managing Director Nigel Featham notes.
Fellow large group Stagecoach also highlighted plans to expand the representation of women in its operations. That calls for 40% of Stagecoach leaders to be women by 2026.
Stagecoach additionally showcased women who already work for the business through collaboration with its internal Women’s Network to produce a video highlighting their contributions, including those of CEO Claire Miles (pictured below, centre). Stagecoach is also targeting 25% of its employees being from ethnic backgrounds by 2026.
Meanwhile, First Bus set out recruitment commitments of its own. It aims to have 40% of senior leadership positions filled by women by 2028 and has made a trio of pledges to deliver on that:
- All senior hires at first interview will face a balanced panel of women and men interviewers
- All senior hires will have a 50/50 split at shortlist stage
- Interviews are guaranteed to every woman applying for driver and engineer roles.
First Bus has doubled the number of women it employs over the past five years and Managing Director Janette Bell says that it wishes to do the same again by 2028. “We recognise that there is still more to do, and this is a challenge that we are not afraid to address,” adds Ms Bell.
Other operators highlighted individual achievements of women. Go-Ahead subsidiary Oxford Bus Company (OBC) points to Radio Controller Sally Roycroft, who after a career as a HGV driver joined its business as a bus driver in 2014. She now works at OBC’s head office managing drivers and has advocated the industry as a solid career choice for women.
Transport for London (TfL) also supported International Women’s Day, with initiatives including the creation of six new internship placements for women via WIBC.
TfL’s Women’s Staff Network will hold a series of talks in March celebrating the role of women in the organisation, while the London Transport Museum hosted a Museum Late: Women on the Move session on 8 March, highlighting the work that women do to keep the capital moving.
