First Bus pledges to double women in workforce by 2028, aiming to reach “20% business made up of females”

First Bus takes the opportunity of International Women’s Day to announce new commitments and recruitment pledges to double number of women in business by 2028. In line with the FTSE Women Leaders recommendations, First Bus also aims to have 40% of senior leadership roles filled by women by 2028.

Our ambition is that by 2028, 20% of our business will be made up of females. This would see us doubling the number of women in the business within the next five years, as we have done over the past 5 years.

Janette Bell, Managing Director at First Bus

First Bus aims to have 20% business made by women

To reach this goal, First Bus is making three ambitious new recruitment pledges: “all senior hires (roles that are Staff Manager and above), in their first interview, will face a balanced panel of female and male interviewers, secondly all senior hires (roles that are Staff Manager and above) will have a 50:50 split at shortlist stage. Third, We will guarantee an interview for every female applicant to all driver and engineer roles”, First Bus states.

In an industry like the transport sector, which is heavily dominated by men. we recognise that allyship has a huge role to play in achieving true gender parity and it is essential for the business if it is to achieve its goals. 

Janette Bell, Managing Director at First Bus, said: “This latest milestone is only the next step in our journey, but I am proud we are now putting these pledges in place to help us achieve even more. Our ambition is that by 2028, 20% of our business will be made up of females. This would see us doubling the number of women in the business within the next five years, as we have done over the past 5 years. We want First Bus to be a place where our people feel welcome, can be their true selves and succeed. I’m proud of the work we’re doing and proud of the women who work alongside me in all areas of the business. We recognise that there is still more to do, and this is a challenge that we are not afraid to address.”  

Louise Cheesman, Chair of Women in Bus and Coach, added: “It’s so important to see businesses like First Bus not only acknowledge the work they have to do to reach gender parity, but also to show real commitment to how they will achieve it.”  

Sonya Byers, CEO of Women in Transport, said: “It is great to see the hard work paying off for everyone at First Bus as they continue to transform their business to attract more women than ever before. The pledges they are making have the potential to make a real difference and aim to attract even more women to join one of the UK’s biggest bus operators and into the Transport industry for a rewarding career”.