Women in Bus and Coach

The Women in Bus and Coach team wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.

We thank you for the great support for our launch in 2023 and look forward to working with you in 2024.

We have some great plans shaping up for new year, and we’re looking forward to sharing these with you shortly! please encourage your colleagues to like and follow the Women in Bus and Coach social media pages, so you’re the first to hear our plans as we announce them.

To find out about the Women in Bus and Coach initiative click 👇

womeninbusandcoach.org.uk



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Did you know that only one in five engineers working in the bus industry are women?

At Oxford Bus Company's Cowley depot, there's only one: nineteen-year-old Mercedes Goodhall. Mercedes is on a three-year apprenticeship with the company, and she's encouraging others with an interest in the field to do the same.

Catch Mercedes recent interview on BBC Sounds 👇

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0gvgzbg

Rachel Birrell and Oliver Punter from Transport for London represented the Women in Bus and Coach initiative at todays UK BUS AWARDS - congratulations to all the finalists and winners, but a special shout out to the winner of the 'Top London Bus Driver' award Marina Rudko from RATP Dev Transit London🥇

Congratulations! With over 9000 buses in London, there was tough competition! We look forward to showcasing Marina in the near future

The Women in Bus and Coach initiative recently held its Parliamentary launch event at the UK House of Commons

Hosted by our friends at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Road Passenger Transport Industry, the attendees, which included prominent senior leaders in the bus and coach industry, together with MPs and political figures from across all parties, heard inspirational presentations and call to actions for the Bus and Coach sector.

You can see photos from this fantastic event by clicking this link 👇

https://womeninbusandcoach.org.uk/news/women-in-bus-and-coach/photos-from-the-women-in-bus-and-coach-parliamentary-launch-event/

Candice Mason, a key member of the Women in Bus and Coach national steering committee, and Director at Masons Minibus and Coach Hire Ltd, recently spoke to Leon Daniels as part of his hugely popular series ‘Lunch with Leon’, which features interviews with leading figures in the transport industry.

In this fascinating discussion, Leon and Candice discuss the Women in Bus and Coach Initiative, how the Mason Minibus and Coach business dealt with COVID, as well as Candice’s thriving herbal tea business, plus much more.

To listen click 👇

https://womeninbusandcoach.org.uk/news/women-in-bus-and-coach/lunch-with-leon-podcast/

What a fantastic day at the UK House of Commons for the Parliamentary launch of the Women in Bus and Coach initiative!

Hosted by our friends at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Road Passenger Transport Industry, the attendees, which included prominent senior leaders in the bus and coach industry, together with MPs and political figures from across all parties, heard inspirational presentations and call to actions for the Bus and Coach sector to deliver on from:

Lord Peter Snape: Member of the UK House of Lords
Louise Cheeseman FCILT CIRO: Chair of Women in Bus and Coach, and Director of Bus, Transport for London
Lorna Murphy: Operations and HR Director, Abellio London
Candice Mason: Director, Masons Coaches
Caroline Whitney: Director for England, Community Transport Association
Claire Miles, Chief Executive Officer, Stagecoach Group
Sarah Bell, Traffic Commissioner for London and the South East
Lord Peter Hendy of Richmond Hill - Women in Bus and Coach Sponsor and Chair, Network Rail
Koli Begum, Apprenticeship Assessor, Go-Ahead London

To find out more about today’s event and the Women in Bus and Coach Initiative click 👇

https://womeninbusandcoach.org.uk/news/women-in-bus-and-coach/parliamentary-event-celebrates-the-national-launch-of-the-new-women-in-bus-and-coach-initiative/

The Women in Bus and Coach initiative, the first national network to support women in the bus and coach industry, recently launched to a sold out event in Birmingham - if you couldn't attend, check out the photos on this link 👇

https://womeninbusandcoach.org.uk/news/women-in-bus-and-coach/photos-from-the-women-in-bus-and-coach-launch-event/

What a day! The National Launch of Women in Bus and Coach was a fantastic success - thank you to our brilliant speakers and panelists for their outstanding presentations and discussions, and thank to everyone that attended and made the day possible.

We are , together we will the Bus and Coach sector for the . Today is the beginning of our journey!

To find out about the Women in Bus and Coach initiative click 👇

New Initiative Supporting Women in Bus and Coach Sector Launches Across UK - Women in Bus and Coach The first national network to support women in the bus and coach industry launched at an event in Birmingham on Wednesday 8 November.

As we reach the end of Black History Month UK we celebrate the inspirational women in our industry and ‘Salute our sisters’ as we strive to improve diversity across the Bus and Coach sector.

This photo taken in 1988 shows a woman training for the role of a London Bus Driver in the cab of a midibus.

Here at Women in Bus and Coach we are working to break down barriers, and support all women in working towards their career aspirations.





© TfL from the London Transport Museum collection
https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/1998-19989

October is Black History Month UK and we encourage everyone to celebrate this year’s theme of ‘Saluting Our Sisters’.

This striking photo shows a woman training to become a Bus Driver using a Bus Driver’s Cab Simulator at Chiswick Works in 1975.

Women in Bus and Coach strives to increase diversity across the sector and challenge the barriers that prevent women from reaching their full potential.




© TfL from the London Transport Museum collection
https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/photographs/item/2014-8404

Our friends at the Community Transport Association are this week celebrating the incredible efforts of staff, volunteers, drivers, coordinators, and everyone in the Community Transport sector who works tirelessly to provide reliable transportation options for those who face mobility challenges, or lack access to conventional modes of transportation with the inaugural

Community Transport providers support millions of people across the UK, using transport to create a more inclusive and connected society.

For details on how you can support , and to find out more on the over 23 million Community Transport journeys that take place annually, allowing access to healthcare, education, employment and leisure click 👇

https://ctauk.org/welcome-to-community-transport-week/

Each year, Inspiring Girls International runs a global online campaign to celebrate International Day of the Girl -

To celebrate, we are showcasing some of the inspirational Women who are driving forward the new Women in Bus and Coach initiative:

Kerri Cheek, Senior Bus Safety Development Manager, Transport for London

This little girl is me…

Growing up I wanted to be a writer, I loved to read and dream, let my imagination roam free. With my mum’s encouragement, I loved being creative; it was my escape from an unhappy homelife.

I worked hard, achieved academically, and pushed myself, always seeking the next challenge, but without any clear idea of what I wanted to be any more or where I belonged. Until one day I found transport, or it found me. My career hasn’t been a straight path but almost 20 years later I’m grateful that I look forward to going to work every day, that I have a career I enjoy and can be proud of, one that I can be creative in and push the boundaries. I’ve found my people and a place to belong.

In some ways this little girl is still me: I still look for the rainbows and the silver linings; I still love to learn; and I still love to dream. I still let my imagination roam free, but now it’s often on dog walks in the countryside, with my two daughters collecting leaves and snails and conkers. Coming full circle, I am encouraging my daughters to believe in themselves, and I wonder what exciting things they will achieve?

This little girl is me.

To find out how you can get involved in the Women in Bus and Coach initiative, or for details on supporting our National Launch and Summit taking place in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th November, drop us a line at [email protected]

Inspiring Girls UK

Each year, InInspiring Girls Internationaluns a global online campaign to celebrate International Day of the Girl -

To celebrate, we are showcasing some of the inspirational Women who are driving forward and supporting the new Women in Bus and Coach initiative:

Lorna Murphy, Operations & HR Director at AbAbellio LondonThis little girl is me…

What a powerful day, sending messages and advice to our younger selves, our daughters, our sisters, our friends, the younger generation. It feels even more meaningful now that I have a 2 year old daughter too.

My advice to my younger self, and my daughter, would be:

- There is no limit on what you can achieve, set your sights as high as you like and go for it
- Make mistakes and fail fast, learn from it and be/do better the next time
- Challenge things that aren’t right and fight for what you believe in
- Work hard while finding the right balance for you
- Find your joy
- Make time for something you love doing
- Always keep an open mind and try new things
- look forwards, try not to dwell on the past

This little girl is me.

To find out how you can get involved in the Women in Bus and Coach initiative, or for details on supporting our National Launch and Summit taking place in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th November, drop us a line at [email protected]

InInspiring Girls UK

Each year, Inspiring Girls International runs a global online campaign to celebrate International Day of the Girl -

To celebrate, we are showcasing some of the inspirational Women who are driving forward the new Women in Bus and Coach initiative:

Louise Cheeseman, Director of Bus, Transport for London

This little girl is me…

As an only girl of a household of three brothers in the 60’s I was told that staying on at school wasn’t necessary as I would get married and have children and therefore a career wouldn’t be important to me. My mother had given up a promising career in technical drawing to raise the family while my father went out to work.

I left school at 16 and joined a bank before having two daughters at aged 20 and 22 and leaving to raise them as a housewife until my marriage ended when I was aged 39 and I had to start looking at how I managed on my own, with ‘my girls’.

My career started when I was 40 (2001), finding a role as a guard in rail to support my two daughters through university, as a single parent with no financial support from their father.

In 2018 I became Managing Director of a train operating company in the North of England and then moved on to become Director of Buses at Transport for London. I hope that I have proved to other women in a similar situation that your career can start at any age without any qualifications. The only person stopping you is YOU!

Transport has given me so much, and I would highly recommend it to anybody wanting variety and opportunity to grow.

This little girl is me.

To find out how you can get involved in the Women in Bus and Coach initiative, or for details on supporting our National Launch and Summit taking place in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th November, drop us a line at [email protected]

Inspiring Girls UK

Each year, Inspiring Girls International runs a global online campaign to celebrate International Day of the Girl -

To celebrate, we are showcasing some of the inspirational Women who are supporting and driving forward the new Women in Bus and Coach initiative:

Jennifer Tocknell, Head of Engineering & Operational Safety for National Express LTD

This little girl is me…

From a very early age I was interested in Transport, my interest was sparked when I studied a GNVQ Advanced in Leisure & Tourism at College.

I began my career as a bus driver at Lea Hall Depot in the West Midlands in 2003, passing my PCV test 3 months after my car test. My career was then launched and I began to climb the career ladder in Operations.

I studied a Master's Degree in Business Admin in 2017 with 3 children all under the age of 5. I graduated in 2019 with a distinction.

I am currently the UK Head of Engineering & Operational Safety for National Express studying a Masters Degree in Psychology. Learning has always been a huge part of a career and it is important to keep on learning.

This little girl is me.

To find out how you can get involved in the Women in Bus and Coach initiative, or for details on supporting our National Launch and Summit taking place in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th November, drop us a line at [email protected]

Inspiring Girls UK

Each year, Inspiring Girls International runs a global online campaign to celebrate International Day of the Girl -

To celebrate, we are showcasing some of the inspirational Women who are supporting and driving forward the new Women in Bus and Coach initiative:

Julie Hartley, Sales Director Irizar UK

This little girl is me…

She grew up in a loving, working class family, the youngest of three children.

She struggled academically, not being able to read, spell or work with numbers, and her Head Mistress at school asked her mother why she was so stupid when her siblings were not.

What everyone had missed was that those “daydreams” that she was castigated for were actually epileptic episodes. At 14, after suffering 2 very severe fits, understanding finally came. Medication was prescribed and to the little girl it felt like a light bulb switched on in her head.

She studied hard, moved on from the bullying that had
accompanied the education struggles and secured an Apprenticeship at Massey Ferguson.

Work was a whole new world.

At work she was told by her training manager that being the only girl she would need to work twice as hard as the boys – and she did!

She did everything from building tractors on the factory floor, to drawing tractors for international training materials, from working at exhibitions to driving a combine harvester.

From tractors she moved to trucks and into supporting a sales team. Nobody thought she could actually sell – that was men’s work!

But a customer recognised something in her – she accepted the chance to change again – despite lots of advice not to, she went to rent Buses and Coaches.

It was a different industry – gradually she met with lots of amazing women running their own businesses or taking on traditionally male roles. She felt at home. Finally.

Now a Sales Director of a successful coach dealership, she still sometimes struggles with self doubt and imposter syndrome. But she pushes that aside. She remembers the little girl who couldn’t read or write and everything she has achieved since.

This little girl is me.

To find out how you can get involved in the Women in Bus and Coach initiative, or for details on supporting our National Launch and Summit taking place in Birmingham on Wednesday 8th November, drop us a line at [email protected]

Inspiring Girls UK

Welcome to the new page for Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC), an industry led initiative championing diversity and challenging barriers faced by women in the sector.

Please like and follow us to keep updated on how WiBC are working to support women in achieving their goals and encouraging more women in the sector.

You can subscribe to our updates and events at:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=v2W9H-9d6k6mkqCJwlU0awkB1612bRFJq6-1Vv5qRPpUMlQ4Tjg1VzFTOVhBMTBaQ1BGQjBUVFQ3Si4u

Welcome to the new page for Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC), an industry led initiative championing diversity and challenging barriers faced by women in the sector.

Please like and follow us to keep updated on how WiBC are working to support women in achieving their goals and encouraging more women in the sector.

You can subscribe to our updates and events at:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=v2W9H-9d6k6mkqCJwlU0awkB1612bRFJq6-1Vv5qRPpUMlQ4Tjg1VzFTOVhBMTBaQ1BGQjBUVFQ3Si4u

Bus Users UK annual is well underway!!

Buses are good for our health, the economy and the environment. Bus passengers boost the UK economy by £64 billion annually, as well as reducing congestion, pollution, loneliness and social isolation.

This just leave the car at home and jump on the bus, take the stress out of getting stuck in traffic and finding that parking space.

🚌 Buses are good for the environment.

💨 They reduce congestion and help clean our air.

🚘➡️🚍 Switching from your car to a bus just once a month would mean 1 billion fewer car journeys.

Get on board throughout September 👇

https://bususers.org/catchthebusmonth/

Lorna Murphy, a key member of the Women in Bus and Coach national steering committee, and Operations & HR Director at Abellio London, recently spoke to Leah Hockley, Editor at Intelligent Transport as part of a brand new initiative called 'Let's Talk Transport'.

You can watch this fascinating discussion by clicking 👇

https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-videos/148814/lets-talk-transport-episode-1-lorna-murphy-abellio-london/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social_letstalktransport_ep_1

Together, they tackle the critical and timely subject of diversity within public transport, with Lorna providing insights into her time at Abellio London, the launch of Women in Bus and Coach, and other initiatives that will help drive change and improvement across the sector.

Today, 'Women in Bus and Coach' are celebrating Malgorzata Cieslinska-Skrzypczak and Liubove Simpson.

Meg and Liubove are coach drivers for FlixBus and Whippet Coaches, and recently took the time to explain how much they love their jobs to Cambridge News.

Did you know, that according to the Office of National Statistics, only 11% of the UK’s coach and bus drivers are women? Women in Bus and Coach are seeking to improve this and make the and industry a welcoming and inclusive please to work. Follow us to find out more

'I'm one of the only women bus drivers in Cambs - it’s never too late to learn' Only 11% of UK coach and bus drivers are women

Welcome to the new page for Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC), an industry led initiative championing diversity and challenging barriers faced by women in the sector.

Please like and follow us to keep updated on how WiBC are working to support women in achieving their goals and encouraging more women in the sector.

You can subscribe to our updates and events at:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=v2W9H-9d6k6mkqCJwlU0awkB1612bRFJq6-1Vv5qRPpUMlQ4Tjg1VzFTOVhBMTBaQ1BGQjBUVFQ3Si4u