by Chloe Leach-O’Connell
I’ve eaten my own body weight in chocolate and mince pies and demolished a case of wine almost single-handed, but it’s back to reality and to be honest, it couldn’t come soon enough. One thing I learnt over the holidays is that I actually love structure. Not knowing what day it is loses its novelty appeal pretty quickly for me, it does however leave me thinking and reflecting about the year that’s gone before. And I can honestly say that it seems that the diversity and inclusion agenda has really started to pick up pace across the bus industry, which I am absolutely delighted about!
Perhaps it’s a case of it being ‘on my radar’ following the set-up of Women in Transport: Buses, but it truly seems that 2019 saw much more activity around promoting diversity. Many of the large bus groups reiterated and refreshed their commitments, with some announcing clear targets for the future. Not forgetting the launch of Everybody Matters, a programme which sees leaders from across transport and logistics come together with the CILT to help support great people in a way that isn’t profit-driven. As they describe it - “Everybody means everybody, with no exclusions or barriers.”
I was really proud when Women in Transport: Buses got off the ground, and as we are just about to celebrate our first anniversary I thought it would be a good opportunity to run through some of the stuff we’ve been up to.
The group came together at the beginning of last year to help accelerate diversity in the bus industry, it forms part of the incredibly successful Women in Transport, a not-for-profit organisation that empowers women to maximise their potential. Its members are both men and women, and together they aim to promote a diverse and strong transport workforce that supports UK economic growth.
The Women in Transport: Bus group meets around four times a year and is made up of male and female industry peers from a variety of functions, levels and companies. Not forgetting our member across the pond in the USA, Stephanie Maher from National Express who presented a session at our very first meeting!
We have four main areas which we focus on:
Leading change and how to make a difference
External communications, improving perceptions (of our industry!)
Sharing data and knowledge
Our audience and the future
And I’m proud to say that we are making real progress. There’s lots to do, and I mean lots, but we are on our way.
We’ve had fantastic support from our friends across the industry. Passenger Transport Magazine, who gave us the momentum we needed by publishing my article ‘Let’s talk about women and buses’ at the beginning of the year, The Confederation of Passenger Transport and CEO Graham Vidler for his ongoing assistance, Chair Mark Yexley and the wider team at The UK Bus Awards, and Tim Deakin, Editor at Route One along with Jacqui Trayford and the team at Coach and Bus UK.
We’re really keen to do all we can to get the message out there. We released a factsheet ‘The Lowdown on Diversity and Inclusion’ in December which explains why diversity is not just a ‘nice to have’. It details how companies with inclusive cultures, where people feel they can be themselves, outperform in the markets they operate in. We want it to be clear, that it’s not just about getting underrepresented groups to join a company, it’s about creating a welcoming, respectful and engaged workforce, which will, in turn, create motivation, increase performance and attract diverse talent. Our customer base should be reflected in frontline staff, middle and senior management teams and the boardroom. This factsheet is the first step in getting this specific message out to a wider audience.
Martin Harris, MD, Brighton & Hove Buses and Sonya Byers, CEO, Women in Transport
Sonya Byers, CEO of Women in Transport, and Martin Harris, Managing Director of Brighton and Hove Bus also took on various speaking opportunities to help promote awareness. It was great to see them lead a session at Coach and Bus UK about accelerating diversity, and for The UK Bus Awards to give Women in Transport: Buses the opportunity to present its new Cultural Change award at the November ceremony. We are extremely grateful for the support.
Women in Transport presented the inaugural Cultural Change Award at The UK Bus Awards 2019
Current projects the bus group are undertaking, in addition to, or in conjunction with the fabulous work being carried out by Women in Transport, include looking at flexible rotas, how to make practical improvements to working environments, and the inclusive employment journey.
The inclusive employment journey proposes to create a central resource for the whole of the bus industry to use and benefit from. Caroline Ward, one of our members, is really passionate about the journey, and has helped lead it. Her vision is for the resource to cover every step of employment, from community engagement and recruitment, through to support with life after buses. The plan is for it to feature the very best projects from across the industry which will represent first-class practice. There’s lots out there!
So that’s a quick outline of what’s gone before and what’s already in the pipeline, however the whole reason for doing what we do is about the future - our future as a progressive industry. We may be pushing forward with technologies and green solutions, but we must also make sure that we have the ability to attract and retain skills and talent. Generation Z expect to work within a welcoming, tolerant and culturally diverse workforce, it’s almost a given.
So as I slip back into the structure of a working week, where thankfully we can now distinguish a Monday from a Thursday, and a normal diet resumes (that’s correct, it’s no longer acceptable to eat a box of Ferrer Rocher for breakfast), I’m genuinely very excited for the future. I see the dedication and commitment all around us, and as an industry we are making big differences, so here’s to a very Happy New Year!
Women in Transport: Bus includes representatives from Brighton & Hove Buses, HCT Group, UNO, We are Buzz, RATP Dev, National Express, Stagecoach. It is led by Chloe Leach O’Connell and Sonya Byers. If you would like to find out more or get involved, please contact Sonya at sonya@womenintransport.com.
Women in Transport Bus meeting on 30 October 2019 included Sonya Byers (Women in Transport), Jim Thorpe (UNO Buses), Charlie Barnes (RATP Dev), Kathryn Lynch (Brighton & Hove Buses), Lawrence Wilson (HCT Group), Graham Vidler (CPT), Caroline Ward, Marlene Mey (WORK180 UK), Jenny Tocknell (National Express), Kate Thompson (Stagecoach Group), Chloe Leach O’Connell. The group also includes Linsey Frostick (Arriva), Martin Harris (Brighton & Hove Buses), Claire Rawlinson (We Are Buzz).
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