Stagecoach has been named as the best public transport company for diversity and inclusion in the Britain’s Most Admired Companies (BMAC) 2019 survey.
The Perth-headquartered group received a rating of 6.7 for diversity and inclusion, scoring ahead of rivals Arriva, FirstGroup, Go-Ahead and National Express.
It's a remarkable achievement for the firm co-founded by Sir Brian Souter, who in 2000 funded a campaign to retain the Section 28 law which banned teachers from discussing homosexuality in schools.
Stagecoach said it had made efforts to build an inclusive workforce that represents "all the customers and communities it serves", including a better gender balance at senior management levels.
In September's National Inclusion Week, Stagecoach signed a diversity and inclusion pledge which commits to "celebrate people’s differences".
Clare Burles, people director for Stagecoach, said: “We're proud to have been recognised by our peers and other stakeholders for our focus on diversity and inclusion across our business.
"As a transport provider that connects people with jobs, skills and training and helps our towns and cities thrive, having a diverse and inclusive workforce is fundamental to our success.
“We’ve taken some big steps forward in the past year, particularly in improving gender balance, but we know we have lot more to do and our teams across the business are working hard to drive forward engagement with our people and our communities."
The BMAC study has been tracking data since 1990 and is run by reputation specialists Echo Research, with support from Coventry University. It measures the reputation of 250 of Britain’s largest companies across 25 sectors, using 13 criteria with input from company directors, analysts and City commentators.
Among Stagecoach's competitors, Go-Ahead scored 6.0; National Express 5.7; Arriva 5.7; and FirstGroup 3.3.
