Metroline is holding an open day on August 25 in a drive to encourage women to sign-up for training.
Despite growing numbers of women working in the transport sector, only 6% of London’s bus drivers are female.
The recruitment drive is supported by Transport for London and the unions, T&GWU. The open day to be held in Wembley will show potential recruits what is involved.
Changing long-standing perceptions of driving as a predominantly male occupation is the biggest barrier to success, according to Metroline but say the organisation improved mechanics such as power assisted steering mean that physical strength is no longer a requirement.
Clare Kavanagh at Transport for London said: “The pros and cons for bus driving as a job are, in reality, no different for men or women. We are looking for people to take a pride in driving skillfully through traffic and in delivering a high quality of service to the travelling public. Clearly, women are every bit as capable of this as men.”
Metroline runs a fleet of 1,000 buses from garages in north and north-west London.
