Last week’s CPT Conference 2026 hosted a discussion on women’s safety on buses – and heard a rallying cry from CPT president Kathryn Pulham

 
CPT president Kathryn Pulham raised the issue of diversity when she addressed CPT’s annual dinner

 
Men working in the passenger transport sector were urged to step up and support female colleagues at last month’s CPT Conference 2026 in London.

Speaking in a session devoted to the subject of women’s safety on buses, Carolyn Quainton, founder and director of training provider Understood, told delegates: “This may sound sexist to say it, but I think male leaders are even more important in this situation. I think hearing men talk to a predominantly male workforce and sharing those messages is going to resonate more than a female leader doing it. I am just being brutally honest here.

“Violence against women and girls, as we have talked about, is predominantly carried out by men … Men need to be part of the solution. Male leaders in this industry are in a privileged position I think to do something really fundamental here.”

Tom Cunnington, head of bus business development at Transport for London and a director of UK-wide network Women in Bus and Coach, said tackling the issue of violence against women and girls (VAWG) wasn’t just the right thing to do – it’s vital for the future sustainability of public transport.

“If women don’t feel safe on bus networks they are going to make other choices and it’s very clear that that is what has been happening,” he said.

“We know from our stats that around one in ten report incidents, but three in 10 tell their friends about it. So that word of mouth becomes very powerful about buses being unsafe.

“Some of those people might have 50, 60, 70 years of potential bus use ahead of them. That’s tens of thousands of journeys potentially that we are losing out on by losing those customers, by losing their trust at an early age.”

Cunnington warned that training is only effective if it is part of that wider cultural change, and he urged men to play a full part in that.

“You’ve got to give it a go,” he urged. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I’ve said things that have turned out wrong. I’ve learned from that. I have learned far more from making those mistakes and saying the wrong things and perhaps approaching something the wrong way, whether it’s around this issue or any other issue. And that’s part of what Women in Bus and Coach was set up to do. It’s to enable people to have those conversations. It’s really also to promote women in the industry. A lot of decisions are still made by groups of almost entirely white men of a certain age, who are not representative of the communities that we serve.”

To the women, I am with you. And to the men, be allies. Support your female colleagues. Call out bad behaviour

He continued: “The reason Women in Bus and Coach came around was after a particular Board meeting where once again an issue that was pertinent to women travelling on our buses was perhaps not being taken seriously by group of all men. It’s how do we get more women into those decision-making processes.”

This year’s CPT president, Kathryn Pulham, a director of Go-Ahead Group-owned bus and coach operator Pulhams, raised the issue of diversity when she addressed CPT’s annual dinner.

Pulham told those assembled: “Only around 10% of our industry workforce is female and that’s crazy, because women and men are equally well equipped to drive buses and coaches, to run coach and bus businesses and lead at senior at levels.

She continued: “There are some outstanding role models in our sector. Jane Cole OBE, Sarah Boyd, Louise Cheeseman, Laura Hadzik, Alison Edwards, and I could go on. I know many bus operators are taking strides to recruit more drivers, but where are the middle managers and and senior managers rising through the ranks? There simply aren’t enough – and that’s a real shame for a modern, public facing industry in 2026.

“Women in this industry will know that being in a minority isn’t always comfortable. You share your feelings and you are and emotional woman, who can’t be relied upon. Don’t, and you are cold and untrustworthy. Take your pick. Only recently at an industry event when I try to move past a man I didn’t know he addressed me with the words ‘awight darling’, and that’s far too common and it won’t do.”

Pulham added: “Let me be clear, this is not an attack on men. I have learned a huge amount from male colleagues and they played a role in my success. But as CPT president my message is this – we are an industry for all. To the women, I am with you. And to the men, be allies. Support your female colleagues. Call out bad behaviour. Show respect, whether that’s in the depot, on board a vehicle, or in the boardroom.”
 

This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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