First Bus becomes a Period Positive Workplace
First Bus has officially become a Period Positive Workplace, supplying free period products to its colleagues.
The transport sector is traditionally a male-dominated one, but this accreditation is another milestone for one of the UK’s largest bus operators, as it continues to improve gender equality across its business. The initiative is also part of a wider strategy to attract more women than ever before to First Bus, as it aims to diversify its workforce and become more reflective of the communities it serves.
In the UK alone, 2.8 million people struggle to afford period products, with 1.4 million people going without period products altogether. By becoming a Period Positive Workplace and providing these essential products, employers can help alleviate the financial burden on their employees and play their part in tackling period poverty.
First Bus is exclusively using period products by Hey Girls – a social enterprise that donates 100% of its profits to funding the fight to eradicate period poverty. For every product they sell, they’ll donate a product to people who need them.
Gareth Hind, Director of Colleague Experience and Relations, said: “At a recent roundtable, I was horrified to be presented with the statistics above.
"We immediately set about considering what we could do to support women in our organisation who may be making these tough choices about period products. Within a month, I am delighted to say we have free period products across First Bus, and in doing so, make the commitment to being a Period Positive Workplace.
“No one should go without period products, and by partnering with Hey Girls, we are doing our part to overcome period poverty in society too. We are making big strides in First Bus to welcome more women into the organisation and achieve our ambitious gender goals.”
Jess Strait, Global Advocacy & Data Systems Manager at Days for Girls International (Leader of the Period Positive Workplace Coalition), said: “Becoming a Period Positive Workplace is a simple, tangible step towards creating a more gender-inclusive world, where periods don't hold anyone back from succeeding at work. First Bus has demonstrated that when their employees come to work, they can trust that their menstrual health needs will be supported.”
Ailsa Colquhoun, Partnerships & Contracts Manager at Hey Girls, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with First Bus on their mission to promote gender equality and inclusivity. By having our products at 65 sites across the UK and Ireland, First Bus is generating donations with every purchase through our partner Lyreco. To date, Hey Girls have donated over 38.5 million boxes of period products and First Bus has directly contributed to this staggering milestone.”
First Bus has also recently pledged to double the number of women in its business by 2027 – another step on its journey to make the bus industry an appealing career choice for more women than ever before.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Photography by @JonCraig_Photos
About First Bus
At First Bus, we’re on a mission to grow bus usage – so we’ll get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto the bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, transporting more than a million customers a day. We serve over 20% of the population of Great Britain with our local bus services, and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, cementing our position as an employer of choice in the sector.
We’re all about making journeys easier for our customers, which is why we were the first national bus operator to roll out Tap On, Tap Off payment technology across our entire fleet of around 4,500 buses. Our First Bus app has also been voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We already operate over 600 zero-emission buses – that’s 14% of our overall fleet.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their own decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company and Ensignbus. First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on our website here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/