Pride bus to join the parade in York
- New livery for Pride celebrations message across the city
- Special discounted day ticket for travel to the Knavesmire
A First Bus double-decker emblazoned with the Pride colours and a message of community support will again loom large in the York Pride parade this weekend (Saturday 7 June).
First Bus in York has been a supporter of the city’s Pride celebrations for many years and the importance of the richness that comes from diversity and inclusivity across society is one that resonates strongly with the operator’s values.
David Millar, Trustee and Parade Director for York Pride, said: “York is a welcoming and embracing city for all, whether you live here or are just visiting.
“We are pleased to be partnered with First Bus who are so supportive of promoting expression, acceptance and awareness of the LGBT+ community both within its own staff and the wider population it serves.
“Their new liveried bus will promote that message and maintain awareness all year round not just Pride Day itself."
Joel Bradley, General Manager of First Bus in York said: “Our business is on a journey to a place where everyone is welcome, can be their true selves and can succeed.
“We have Inclusion Networks made up of colleagues with lived experience and or allies of the particular community, covering every role and every level. This is helping us to build a team that represents the diversity and difference in the communities we serve.”
As part of its continued commitment in helping create easier access to the Pride celebrations, First Bus has created a special ticket for unlimited travel on the day.
Joel Bradley added: “We hope this will enable, in particular, lower income households and disadvantaged groups to embrace and enjoy the spectacle at the Knavesmire and relieve some of the pressure that everyone faces with the cost of living crisis.”
Picture captions
York Pride bus1&2: (from left) First Bus drivers Janie Broomhead and James Christmas, David Millar and Jo Pakosz, First Bus Staff Manager.
York Pride bus3: David Millar (left) with driver James Christmas, Jo Pakosz First Bus Staff Manager and driver Janie Broomhead.
York Pride Bus4: (from left) First Bus drivers Janie Broomhead and James Christmas, Jo Pakosz, First Bus Staff Manager and David Millar.
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Notes to editors
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 1.5 million passengers a day. Our local bus services serve more than 25% of the population of Great Britain and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
We are a leading operator in the majority of our local areas, including major urban centres such as Glasgow, Bristol and Leeds.
We have proudly launched our First Bus London operation and now operate 83 routes in west and central London from 10 garages serving 180 million passengers annually.
The combined operation now manages a fleet of over 5,750 buses across the UK.
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.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We will have over 1000 zero-emission buses in operation across our UK fleet by the end of 2025.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company, Lakeside, Ensignbus, Anderson Travel - and the Aircoach network and Matthews in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/