International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day! We recognise and celebrate the incredible women that make up our organisation. 

This International Women's Day, we sat down with Jessica, a current bus driver, and Rosemary, a former driver now Assistant Operations Manager, to discuss their career paths, their roles, and to debunk myths around driving buses.

Are you inspired by Jessica and Rosemary's stories and want to know more about becoming a bus driver? Apply now and join the ever-growing community of women bus drivers at Brighton & Hove Buses.

See below for the full interview:

How did you become a bus driver?

Rosemary: A long time ago about 28 – 29 years ago, I came down to live in the south and I was delivering parts to a bus company, the opposite bus company to the one we’ve got and as I went in to deliver them to the engineering manager there, I actually told him I could drive one of his buses and he said put in for it and I'll recommend you as a as a driver. And I got the job.

Jessica: Mine was because of a friend of a friend really. He said I’d be good and to just apply for just and see where you go. I’d had a really bad day at work one day and I was like, whatever, let’s go for it. Applied and here we are. 

Rosemary: You will not look back

Jessica: No, I don’t think so

Rosemary: No, you won’t look back, because I do think looking at you, you will get on within the buses, you can see that already. 

Jessica: I hope so, fingers crossed

What do you love about your job?

Jessica: I think my favorite thing is that it's different every day, you never have a day where it's exactly the same and it's really boring, so you know what to expect. Obviously, you've got different routes to drive, and you see different people every day and you see different colleagues and just the fact that it's mixed up a little bit is really nice. Obviously, you do get regular customers getting on the bus, and when they recognise you, when you have a little chat. And that's just, it's just, it's pure, I feel like it's the little things that make your day.

Rosemary: I love being able to help the drivers. Yes, I've got a serious side to my job which I need to do, but it is nice if you've got drivers that do need your help and you're there to support them. And it is lovely to see more women come into the industry because, of course, I'm there now, they're not frightened to come into my office and have a chat, which most of them do and it’s lovely.

What are the biggest myths about driving buses?

Rosemary: Well, concerning women they obviously think that they can't do the job or people think they can't do the job. But that is completely untrue now that we've got like 19 girls just alone in Whitehawk, a lot of them very young.

Jessica: Yeah, there's loads more recently.

Rosemary: Yeah, loads more recently. And so, it's coming out now that the people are seeing women on the bus, they're seeing how easy it is. It is actually as easy as driving a car.

Jessica: Yeah

Rosemary: And the only difference is the size, because the actual steering wheel is dead easy to turn. You've just got to get the size of that vehicle. And you're well trained in the training school to do all that.

Jessica: I think that would be my myth is that it's really scary and it's really difficult. This is the sort of thing, like you start off, you can't drive a car, but you learn and then it's like the easiest thing ever, is that you get in your car, and you drive, and you don't even think about it.

Rosemary: And you drove lovely down here. I was going to say that to you before, before these turned up, you did. 

What would you say to other women who are thinking of applying?

Jessica: Definitely just do it. I think people have that, what's the word, assumption that it's all men and they're going to be very like isolated and it's going to be really lonely. But especially recently, we've got such a nice community almost at each one of the depots. There's a lot more women, there's a lot more young women. Brighton, I would say is a really beautiful city and you've got that to drive around all day and it's, I don't know, I feel quite lucky that you just get to drive around and…

Rosemary: Get paid

Jessica: Yeah, and get paid. Like that's a great bit to it.

Rosemary: Well, I would definitely say take the plunge and get on with it and do it. But I just remember when I first came down to the South and joined the bus company, I can remember driving along the coast road and thinking, oh my goodness, I'm on my holiday, the sun's out. I'm driving a bus for lovely people on it. Never got any hassle and, and you're just driving into Brighton, which is a lovely place and you're seeing all the sights yourself and dropping people off. I honestly think the whole part of it being at the depots, great teamwork. You've got lovely people there and it's nice if you come in and you love your job and you're just and they, they support you in every way. I would say that like Jessica was saying, it's good. It’s a good community and everybody looks after you. You know, you're not on your own, you're not on your own. And if you need help, they're there to give you that help. But I would just say write the application today. 

Jessica: Yeah