A plaque commemorating Jill Viner, London's first woman bus driver, has been unveiled.
Kingston’s recently refurbished Cromwell Road bus station bears the plaque dedicated to Viner, who became the first woman to drive a London bus licensed to carry passengers. This location was chosen because it's close to the area Viner worked in: she was based at a bus station which no longer exists in nearby Norbiton, and drove route 65. Back then, that linked Chessington and Ealing, but these days it runs between Kingston and Ealing.
Viner first qualified as a bus driver in May 1974, becoming a pioneer for women to drive passenger buses professionally — though 50 years on, there's still a large gender disparity in the profession. According to a report from the Labour Force Survey in 2020/21, only 16% cent of bus and coach drivers were female (up from 7% in 2019/20).
Viner's plaque is the work of the Women in Bus and Coach initiative, a group of experienced female professionals and male allies in the bus and coach industry, encouraging more women to work in the transport sector.
Lorna Murphy, TfL’s Director of Buses, said:
It seemed only fitting, that in conjunction with Women in Bus and Coach, we should honour Jill Viner 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.
Louise Cheeseman, Founder and Chair of Women in Bus and Coach, said:
Jill Viner was a pioneer and we’re proud to have unveiled this new permanent plaque in honour of her today.
Viner retired from driving buses in 1993 and died in 1996. You can see the plaque at the western entrance to Cromwell Road bus station, Kingston.
