First Bus celebrates International Women’s Day with commitment to double number of women in the business

First Bus has formally pledged to employ more women across its business with the aim to double the number of female staff in the next five years.

The commitment comes as the leading bus operator celebrates International Women’s Day (8 March) by lighting up buildings across Glasgow and Aberdeen with eye catching projections, illuminating industry insights from some of its existing female workforce.

The projections were illuminated across iconic Scottish venues such as Glasgow’s Riverside Museum and the Aberdeen Football Club’s Pittodrie Stadium. They revealed inspiring messages from female staff members at First Bus, sharing their own experiences of how being a part of the industry has positively impacted them.

 

The messages included Megan Copeland, a First Bus driver, who noticed the job online and thought ‘why not me?,’ resulting in her trading her Fiat 500 for a double decker bus. Marie Warner, another driver at First Bus, revealed her daughter didn’t think she’d last, but after 10 years, Marie is still doing what she loves and her daughter is now a bus driver too.

First Bus has released two pledges which it has committed to rolling out across the network this April .These pledges are:

1. We strive for all senior hires (Staff Manager and above), in their first interview, to have a balanced panel of female and male interviewers where possible​.
2. We will strive for all senior hires (Staff Manager and above) to have a 50:50 shortlist wherever possible​.

 

 

Linda Shields, Operations Director at First Bus Scotland, said, “We’re proud to celebrate the fantastic women of First Bus who help to make our company, and the industry as a whole, a positive and inspiring place to work.

“First Bus is fully committed to fostering a more inclusive and balanced workforce. We recognise that diversity drives innovation and enhances our ability to serve our customers effectively. Ahead of International Women’s Day, we have pledged to actively address gender disparities, create equal opportunities and empower women to thrive in all aspects of our business.”