As part of Women in Transport's 20th anniversary, ALBUM is celebrating the stories of inspirational women working in the UK bus network. Here are some highlights from ALBUM member operator and Women in Transport partner Lothian Buses.
From driver to instructor: Charlie’s transport story
One of the women celebrated in the video is Charlie Drysdale, who since joining Lothian in 2011 has progressed from driver to instructor, playing an important role in developing the next generation of transport professionals.
Charlie’s hard work and dedication were recognised with the Driving Champion Award at the Lothian People Awards 2023.
“The stigma of females driving buses or working in transport I feel is evaporating, which can only be a positive.”
Those are the words of Andrea Wilson, who has been with Lothian Buses as a Traffic Manager since 1998.
Here are Andrea’s thoughts in full:
“I’m a traffic manager at Lothian’s Central Garage, supporting our General Manager, and the job consists of operational management to ensure compliance, health and safety, incident management and sharing of best practice.
“Central currently has 700 driver colleagues and more than 200 vehicles, making it one of the biggest bus garages in the UK! Working as a woman in the transport industry in a mainly male-driven environment, it can seem overwhelming when you first start, but these people become family and we all support each other through hard work and a lot of commitment. I can’t really speak for other businesses as I’ve spent over half my life at Lothian, but I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great colleagues, male and female.
“The stigma of females driving buses or working in transport I feel is evaporating, which can only be a positive.”