A plaque celebrating London’s first woman bus driver, Jill Viner, has been unveiled at Kingston’s new Cromwell Road bus station.
Jill became the first woman to drive a London bus licensed to carry passengers in May 1974, and is now seen as a pioneer in leading the way for women to drive buses professionally.
It is thought that she achieved ‘driver seniority’ or ‘grade seniority’ on 25 May 1974 when she formally qualified as a driver. She regularly drove services in south-west London and was based at a nearby bus station in Norbiton garage, which no longer exists. Route 65 was one of the first routes driven by Jill, which at that time ran between Chessington and Ealing but today travels between Kingston and Ealing. Jill retired from driving buses in 1993 and died in 1996.
The plaque is part of the ongoing work by the Women in Bus & Coach initiative to encourage more women into the transport sector. It can be seen outside the western entrance of the new bus station. Lorna Murphy, TfL’s Director of Buses, said: “It seemed only fitting, that in conjunction with Women in Bus & Coach, we should honour Jill with a permanent plaque celebrating her as London’s first woman bus driver at the newly re-opened Cromwell Road bus station. We hope this acts as a reminder that the bus and coach industry is open to all and inspires a future generation of bus drivers and staff.”
Founder and Chair of Women in Bus & Coach Louise Cheeseman added: “Jill was a pioneer and we’re proud to have unveiled this new permanent plaque in honour of her today. As an organisation, we look to promote the current work of those within the bus and coach industry to encourage others to choose this path as their future. But it is also important to recognise our past and the hard work and dedication of the women who broke through barriers during a time where it wasn’t seen as the norm for a woman to work in this kind of sector. We hope our work continues to increase the opportunities for women.”
