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Competition launched to commemorate first female Bristol bus driver
A new competition celebrating 80 years since the first female drivers got behind the wheel of a bus in Bristol has been launched by Bristol bus operator, First Bus.
In April 2044, Mrs V Hayes (her first name has been lost to history) passed her official driving test, making her Bristol’s first female bus driver.
Hayes’ appointment marked a major change in Bristol’s public transport workforce but Black and Asian drivers would still have to wait 20 years to be employed by Bristol Omnibus Company.
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The Evening Post reported in March 1944: “Bristol is among the first of the major towns of the country to train women for this work, and it will be greatly to their credit if they come through their final tests under such difficult driving conditions as exist in the city.”
Now First Bus has launched a competition to mark the milestone, by asking the public to create a design to cover an entire double decker bus.
‘First woman at the wheel’ – The Evening Post reports on Mrs V Hayes becoming the first woman to become a bus driver in Bristol in 1944 – photo: Evening Post archive
The competition coincides with International Women’s Day on March 8, when it is hoped the winning design will be revealed.
Amanda Eastaugh, operations director at First Bus, said there is still a long way to go in addressing gender disparity in the industry.
According to national figures, while more than half of bus passengers are women, only about ten per cent of people in the industry are female. At First Bus, this number only rises to 12 per cent.
“It’s for that reason that we must do what we can to help break stereotypes and encourage more females into the industry,” said Eastaugh.
“Marking this anniversary in such a high-profile way will help show that as a woman you can be an engineer, a manager, a bus driver or any other role we have available; there is no reason why your gender should be a barrier to working in the bus industry.”
First Bus has asked the public to consider how their designs can “inspire inclusion, challenge stereotypes, celebrate women’s achievements, and create positive visibility”.
Last year, a competition to design a bus to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Bristol Bus Boycott was won by Bristol illustrator Alissa Thaler, who depicted the story of the pioneers who fought to end racial discrimination in the bus industry.
The deadline for entries is March 4. For more information, visit www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/about-us/women-wheel
Main photo: Evening Post archive
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