Too many white male train drivers, rail union declares

TRAIN companies must shed the image of its drivers being “a white man in dirty overalls” in order to attract more women, a report has concluded.

Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said only 6.5 per cent of drivers in England, Scotland and Wales were women, while just 8 per cent were from an ethnic minority.

In a report to be published in Parliament today, the group will call on rail operators to help transform the image of train drivers to encourage more diverse candidates inside the cab.

It reads: “The stereotypical image of the train driver as a white man in dirty overalls remains all-pervading.”

The report also states: “The current image of the train driver remains that of a white man, although operating companies are making greater efforts to employ recruitment and advertising material which reflects the presence of BAME people in local communities.”

Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary said: “I want to see fewer people that look like me.” He added that he wanted to work with rail operators to promote jobs to women and BAME candidates.

“We believe that a train driver is a train driver, regardless of gender, sexuality, religion, or race, and we’ve been pushing companies to allow more parttime and flexible working.”

In November, Southeastern railway said it had set a target of raising the number of female applicants for train driver roles to 40 per cent by 2021. Currently, just 4.5 per cent of its drivers are women.