Industry Skills Australia (ISA) recently attended Brisbane City Council’s Women’s Bus Driver Career Open Day, gaining valuable insights into how targeted recruitment initiatives are helping attract more women into one of Australia’s most essential transport occupations. The visit was facilitated by Catherine Baxter, Group Executive for Public Transport Services, Brisbane City Council, who helped coordinate the opportunity for ISA CEO Dr Vanda Fortunato to learn more about the program and its impact.
Hosted at bus depots across Brisbane, the Women’s Bus Driver Career Open Days provide women with a hands-on introduction to a career as a bus operator. Participants can meet experienced female drivers, tour working bus depots, get behind the wheel of a bus, and learn about training pathways, career progression opportunities and the support available throughout their careers.
The recent Toowong Open Day generated strong engagement and recruitment momentum, with 59 registrations recorded across two sessions and 41 attendees participating, representing an attendance rate of approximately 69%. The event also demonstrated its effectiveness as a recruitment initiative, with at least 33 attendees progressing to recruitment discussions following the sessions, reflecting a high level of candidate interest and quality engagement.
The initiative comes at a critical time for the transport and logistics sector. Industry Skills Australia’s 2026 Transport and Logistics Workforce Planning Update highlights ongoing workforce challenges, including an ageing workforce and occupation shortages across key transport roles. Bus and Coach Drivers have the highest median age in the transport and logistics workforce at 58 years, making workforce renewal a significant priority for the sector.
The Workforce Planning Update also identifies bus drivers as an occupation experiencing workforce shortages, reinforcing the importance of attracting new entrants into the profession and building sustainable talent pipelines for the future.
Women remain significantly underrepresented across many frontline transport occupations. While female participation across the transport and logistics industry has increased from 16.3 per cent in 2005 to 20.2 per cent in 2025, women continue to make up only a small proportion of operational roles. This highlights the importance of initiatives such as Brisbane City Council’s open days, which are designed to encourage more women to consider transport careers and challenge traditional perceptions of the industry.
As part of its workforce planning priorities, ISA has identified the need to strengthen attraction strategies and create more inclusive career pathways across the transport and logistics sector. The development of training pathways for the bus and coach sectors is one example of industry efforts to ensure employers have access to a skilled and sustainable workforce into the future.
“Attracting more women into bus driving is not just about addressing workforce shortages, it’s about broadening opportunities and ensuring the transport industry reflects the diverse communities it serves. Initiatives such as Brisbane City Council’s Women’s Bus Driver Career Open Days play an important role in breaking down barriers, challenging perceptions and showcasing the rewarding careers available across the transport sector. As our workforce continues to age, creating pathways for new entrants will be critical to building a sustainable workforce for the future.” Vanda Fortunato, CEO, Industry Skills Australia.
Brisbane City Council promotes bus driving as a reliable and rewarding career, offering paid training, long-term employment stability and flexible work opportunities. During the open day, attendees were able to hear directly from female bus drivers about their experiences in the role, the support available, and the benefits of working in public transport.
The low-pressure and supportive environment allows participants to explore the profession, ask questions and gain practical experience before deciding whether to pursue a career as a bus operator. The program also provides information about recruitment processes and pathways into employment with Brisbane City Council.
For ISA, the visit highlighted the value of employer-led initiatives that directly address workforce participation challenges while creating opportunities for people who may not have previously considered a career in transport.
By showcasing the diverse opportunities available in the sector and providing direct access to role models and industry professionals, programs such as Brisbane City Council’s Women’s Bus Driver Career Open Days are helping to build a stronger, more diverse and future-ready workforce.
With bus drivers remaining in high demand and workforce demographics continuing to shift, initiatives that encourage greater participation from women will play an important role in ensuring Australia’s passenger transport services remain resilient, skilled and well-positioned for the future.
