Stagecoach will support this year's Swindon and Wiltshire Pride event by providing a specially-decorated bus. The transport provider is sponsoring the celebratory community get-together on Saturday, August 10, and adorning its Service 55 vehicle with the colours of the Progress flag which represents lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary and intersex communities as well as marginalised LGBTQ+ people of colour. Stagecoach West staff will be running a stall at GWR Park to give visitors the chance to find out more about their local bus services and an opportunity to win prizes from a prize wheel.
Managing director Chris Hanson said: "Stagecoach West is an inclusive company so it is important that we show our support of the LGBTQ+ community and let everyone know that they are welcome and valued, both in the workforce and onboard our buses. "We are delighted to be involved with this year’s Swindon Pride, a fun and incredibly important event, and I hope it’s a wonderful day for all involved. “Our employee-led networks give members the freedom to push boundaries, encourage change and support colleagues – all the things that make Stagecoach West such a great place to work.
” The bus operator's employee networks available to staff - including LGBTQ+ people, veterans, parents and multicultural - were introduced to educate and promote causes within the organisation in a bid to create a more inclusive workplace and give employees a bigger voice in the future of the busi.