When people talk about Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC), it’s fair to say the ‘bus’ side of the industry tends to get most of the airtime.
But coach is just as important, and this year, we’re making a conscious effort to push it higher up the agenda.
That’s something I’m keen to support, both through my role at Roberts Travel Group and now as part of WiBC. Coach has always been a huge part of our world, and I think it’s sometimes overlooked in wider industry conversations, especially when we talk about careers and attracting new people.
I’ve seen that first-hand. At Roberts, people are often surprised by just how varied the coach side of the business is. One day it’s school transport, the next it’s a corporate movement, then a tour heading across the UK or into Europe. That variety is one of the best things about the sector, but it’s also something we don’t always explain well enough.
If people don’t understand what’s out there, they’re not going to consider it as a career option.
At WiBC, we’ve built a strong, supportive network, but we need to make sure coach is properly represented within it. For me, it starts with visibility, and for WiBC, that’s a real area of focus this year.
There are some brilliant women working across the coach sector, but we don’t always shout about it enough. The more we highlight those people and their journeys, the more we start to shift perceptions.
It also comes down to making sure coach is part of the conversation. Whether that’s through events, mentoring, or just the day-to-day discussions we’re having as a network, we need to reflect the realities of the coach sector as well as bus. They’re not the same, and the challenges can be quite different, but that’s exactly why it matters.
Coach has its own pace, pressures, and opportunities. It’s closely tied to tourism and customer experience, which brings a different dynamic, and we need to recognise that if we’re going to support people properly.
There’s also a bigger picture. As an industry, we’re all thinking about the future, sustainability, recruitment, and changing customer expectations. Coach has a big role to play in all of that. But like the rest of the sector, we need the right people coming through. That means attracting a more diverse workforce and creating environments where people want to stay and build a career. Bringing more women into coach isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it’s part of making the industry stronger and more sustainable long term.
So, when we talk about WiBC pushing coach this year, it’s a deliberate focus. It’s about being more intentional — making sure coach is visible, included, and properly represented in what we do. It’s about working more closely with operators and people in the sector. And it’s about listening, really listening, to what’s needed.
Because coach isn’t a side conversation, it’s a core part of our industry, and this year, WiBC is making sure it’s treated that way.
