Our next speaker Q&A features Sonya Veerasamy, CEO of Women In Transport. She’ll be at the show on Thursday 3 October talking about ‘Accelerating Diversity – Enhancing Performance’ in the coach and bus industry. The session also features Martin Harris, MD of Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus.
I don’t work directly within the bus industry, however I know it’s the place to be if you’d like an audience with senior decision makers. And, as the CEO of Women in Transport that’s a key audience for us in our quest to continue to accelerate diversity.
What do you want visitors to take away from your session?
That diversity in the buses matters. It’s not about a single protected characteristic or ‘doing the right thing’. It’s vitally important to business and the sector to reflect the communities that we operate in and it drives better performance all round. It’s not someone else’s problem, we should all care about it and we can all do something to make a difference.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
The people, I love being part of the transport sector. It’s fascinating to meet and be around people that are passionate and dedicated to what they do. Transport is for people and about people and it’s a vital part of everyone’s life.
And the most challenging?
The perception of transport as not an attractive or appealing place to work. I think there are many misconceptions and people of all ages don’t necessarily see the opportunities and variety that transport has to offer. There are some exciting innovations in bus, for example, but how widely is that known about outside of the industry?
What’s your key takeaway of the year (so far)?
In January, I read a brilliant article on women and the bus industry in Passenger Transport by Chloe Leach-O’Connell. It sparked a Twitter chat with Chloe and a journey that brought me to Coach & Bus UK!
Which coach / bus operators do you particularly admire and why?
I love what Brighton & Hove Buses are doing around inclusive leadership, culture and taking a holistically approach to diversity, inclusion and respect across their workforce and customer service. I have been so impressed with the openness and commitment to inclusion from all the companies that I have met through our Women in Transport: Bus group this year, including Uno and HCT Group.
Looking ahead, what are the biggest opportunities for the coach & bus industry in the coming years?
We know women and young people are more likely to use buses. Research shows teams with 20% or more women are more engaged, collaborative, safer and motivated. Buses and coaches are such a major part of our transport network and daily lives. The opportunity to really embrace the opportunities of a diverse workforce that reflects the communities that the industry serves are huge.
Can you give us an example of what your business is doing to be even more sustainable?
We work completely remotely and in the cloud with no printers to minimise our impact on the environment. We also use public transport for any work trips.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
I am always inspired by our members, by their stories and passion for transport and their drive to make a difference through their career in transport, whatever that might be.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“We have two hands – one to help yourself and one to help someone else. If everyone took just one hour a month to help someone else, then imagine the difference we could make”.
I think what I took away from that is that if you have power then you can empower others around you. You don’t have to be a senior leader or manager to have power, it might be as simple as being a chair in a meeting and ensuring everyone has a fair share of voice.
See Sonya at Coach & Bus UK
Accelerating Diversity – Enhancing Performance: 10.15am on Thursday 3 October.
The session also features Martin Harris, MD of Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus.