Women in Bus and Coach visit Parliament

Event at House of Commons saw industry leaders and MPs from all parties hear from members, supporters and allies of the new national initiative

 
Members, supporters, and allies of the ‘Women in Bus and Coach’ initiative in Parliament last week

 
Women in Bus and Coach, the initiative to support women in the bus and coach industry, were welcomed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Road Passenger Transport Industry at an event hosted at the House of Commons last week.

Launched last month, Women in Bus and Coach is supported by representatives from across the profession, and celebrates and encourages women and allies working in the bus, coach and community transport industry across the whole of the UK.

A wrapped Women in Bus and Coach bus was also displayed at Parliament to commemorate the House of Commons event. The wrapped bus can be seen servicing London bus passengers on route 94 for a short period, running from Acton Green to Charles II Street, travelling past iconic landmarks including Marble Arch, Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.

During the exclusive event, the attendees, who included prominent senior leaders in the bus and coach industry, together with MPs and political figures from across all parties, heard from members, supporters, and allies of the ‘Women in Bus and Coach’ initiative. The speakers provided an insight on how they will work with operators, manufacturers, community associations and other key stakeholders in the bus and coach industry to effect real change that will encourage, represent, and support more women to work in the bus, coach and community transport industry at every level. This will help deliver a more inclusive profession and services that better meet the needs of women.

The initiative is made up of industry leads and will provide a collaborative forum to share expertise and develop solutions to make sure a career in the bus, coach and community transport industry is attractive to women of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities.

It will also work with bus and coach companies to challenge and eliminate barriers currently faced by women in the profession, creating a more inclusive service that is representative of customers. The organisation wants women, whatever their background, to have equal access to a career in the industry and a workplace designed around their needs.

At the launch of Women in Bus and Coach at an event in Birmingham on November 8, key stakeholders signed up to the Charter – agreeing to challenge industry policies and practices that do not adequately support women, and to set, review, and publish targets for women in all roles throughout the industry.

Today’s event was a unique opportunity to both gain cross-party support for the Women in Bus and Coach initiative and showcase how we’ve made significant progress in recent years in recruiting more women into the industry

Louise Cheeseman, director of buses at Transport for London, and chair of Women in Bus and Coach, said: “Today’s event was a unique opportunity to both gain cross-party support for the Women in Bus and Coach initiative and showcase how we’ve made significant progress in recent years in recruiting more women into the industry.

“We still have a lot of work to do to challenge and eliminate barriers currently faced by women in the profession, I can’t wait to continue working with the bus and coach sector to achieve both a professional environment and culture, and a bus and coach service that works for a wealth of diversity – we are better together.”

The group’s corporate members are: Abellio, Alexander Dennis, Arriva, Brighton & Hove, BYD, Dawson Group, First Bus, Global, Go-Ahead, Lothian, McGill’s, MCV Bus and Coach, Metroline, National Express, RATP Dev, Stagecoach UK Bus, Transport for London, Uno, Volvo and Wrightbus.

Find out more, including how to get involved, at: www.womeninbusandcoach.org.uk

You can follow Women in Bus and Coach on LinkedIn and X/Twitter at @WminBusandCoach

 

Mason: ‘I really had to earn my place’

Candice Mason, director of business at Tring-based Masons Minibus & Coach Hire has explain why the Women in Bus and Coach initiative is very close to her heart.

Mason initially joined her family-run business on a year-long sabbatical from work to help her husband, but is still there 10 years later. Speaking to Leon Daniels, formerly of Transport for London, for the Lunch with Leon podcast, which is produced in association with Passenger Transport, she said: “I’ve absolutely loved it, but the downside is I was the only woman in my business for a very long time and I think that you do need a mix of different diversities within a business in order to get a full range of opportunities out of the business. Different people approach things very differently.

I really had to earn my place. I had to earn the respect of male counterparts within the industry, and I just don’t think that that is the future I would want for my daughter

Mason added: “I really had to earn my place. I had to earn the respect of male counterparts within the industry, and I just don’t think that that is the future I would want for my daughter.

Mason points out that women have different needs. “This month a female driver of mine had a miscarriage and
that is so difficult,” she said. “Unless you have got other females within a business that is really difficult for a male to empathise with, to understand what they are going to need and how to support them.”

Meanwhile, she revealed that she has experienced “semi-abusive communications” from men within the industry: “I’ve grown a bit of a thick skin and I am capable of standing up for myself. Well that’s great, but that isn’t OK for that to be the case.”

 
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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