Dublin Bus has introduced part-time hours to recruit more women drivers.
The company has launched a driver recruitment campaign that is targeted at women looking for flexible work.
Dublin Bus says that only 8% of bus drivers are women, according to an RTE report. The company said that they are offering part-time roles in an attempt to increase the number of female drivers.
In the coming weeks, Dublin Bus will be holding a series of open days where "women can get behind the wheel and drive a bus while also talking to other female drivers about their experience of working for the company," according to RTE.
Talent, Training and Diversity Manager with Dublin Bus Vivienne Kavanagh told the news outlet that they hope the option of part-time work will attract more female drivers to their company.
"We've always said that we want our bus drivers to be representative of the communities we serve. We know that women still have the majority of the care and responsibilities in society. This hopefully offers women more flexibility to be able to work around their childcare or other responsibilities that they have," Kavanagh said via RTE.
"It's a permanent job, it's a stable job and they hopefully in the future, if they want, they can become full time and possibly progress in the company as well," she continued.
Women who made the career change, found that the job gave the women the flexibility to have family time and manage other responsibilities and commitments.
Speaking about her experience as a part-time Dublin Bus driver, Wendy Ward said that "becoming a Dublin Bus driver has been one of the best decisions I've made. The flexibility of the part-time role allows me to balance work with my family commitments. I'd encourage any woman who is curious about a driving career to come along to an open day, meet the team and see what's possible."
"You don't need to have done this type of work before – Dublin Bus provides excellent training and support and I've gained so much confidence and so many new skills since joining the team. It could be the start of an exciting and rewarding new chapter," she continued.
As well as part-time positions, Dublin Bus are also recruiting full-time drivers. Starting salaries are €893.06 per week and will rise to around €1,034.03 per week after six years.
According to the Dublin bus website, employees also benefit from a "generous pension scheme, a subsidised medical scheme, paid maternity leave and access to gym facilities at Dublin Bus depots."
Dublin Bus are encouraging women who are interested in exploring a new career to attend their upcoming open days.
The open days are taking place on August 15th, September 5th, and September 26th.
