Go-Ahead appoints rising stars to lead Women in Bus network

20 December 2019 – A former graduate trainee is fronting The Go-Ahead Group's initiative to recruit and develop more women across its bus companies.

Sophie Moorby will chair Go-Ahead’s industry-first Women in Bus Network. Ms Moorby started on Go-Ahead’s graduate scheme in 2014. In 2015 she became Go North East’s youngest-ever depot manager at the age of 23. She currently serves as the Operations Manager at Gateshead Riverside.

Brighton & Hove Buses’ driving instructor Rebecca Kite will serve as vice-chair. She started her career as a bus driver at the age of 18 and became a full-time driving instructor in 2018. She is a pageant queen and the current reigning Miss Sussex for 2019.

The Women in Bus network supports Go-Ahead’s goal to increase female representation in its bus workforce to 20 per cent by 2025. Currently just 11 per cent of Go-Ahead’s 15,500 bus employees are female. The number of women in senior leadership positions has risen by 7 per cent since 2015.

The network is open to all Go-Ahead’s bus colleagues, from those on the frontline to supervisors, managers, engineers and senior executives. The committee has a 50/50 gender split, with Gary Edmundson (Operations Director at Go North East) and Dan Mason (Training and Management Consultant from Go South Cost) providing supporting committee roles.

Together, Sophie and Rebecca will lead the network as it shares best practice and provides a forum for colleagues to raise issues across the business. It is an initiative fully supported by Go-Ahead Group.

Sophie said: “Too many women still think driving a bus is a man’s job - that steering a bus requires strength or that being an engineer on our vehicles isn’t something for them. But I want anyone considering a career in this sector to know that this simply is not true.

“As a public service industry it is important that our workforce represents the diversity of the communities that we serve. There are inspiring women already working across Go-Ahead’s bus operations. I’m looking forward to seeing many more come on board.”

Rebecca said: “I am so proud to be appointed vice chair. I've grown so much as a person since I became a bus driver and instructor. I was a shy, timid 18-year-old when I started and now I'm not afraid to stand up in a room and speak to hundreds of people. I'm hoping the network will inspire and empower other women in our bus companies."

Katy Taylor, Go-Ahead’s Commercial and Customer director, said: “We are proud to be the first transport company to create a female-led employee network. Our hope is that this will encourage wider change within our industry – removing perceived barriers and attracting more women into the profession, as well as assuring existing female employees that this is an industry with strong career progression opportunities.”

ENDS