Oxford Bus operators offers winter flu jab for workforce

Oxfordshire’s leading bus and coach operators are rolling out a free winter flu jab programme for its colleagues, to help them guard against seasonal colds and flu.

The flub jab is available for free for everyone at Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and Pulhams. The complimentary vaccine is optional for all employees across the three companies and is being administered by a nurse in Oxford Bus Company’s occupational health department.

The influenza vaccine programme was introduced as part of the companies’ commitment to colleague health and wellbeing and is something that is not available for everyone via the NHS.

Since the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in seasonal colds and flu, with recent official figures revealing that in 2023 cases of influenza in Europe were 75% higher than in 2019. Common symptoms of the flu, which is highly infectious, include a fever, headache, body ache, cough and runny nose.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Group, said: “The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a key priority for us and so we have invested in offering seasonal flu vaccinations.

“Flu jabs are only available to certain groups via the NHS and so this ensures that any of our colleagues who would like to be vaccinated this winter can be for free. The initiative will help keep our workforce well, ensuring we can deliver an excellent service this winter and that our colleagues can enjoy the festive period during their downtime.”

Neil Butler, Finance Director at the Oxford Bus Group, was the first person to receive the vaccine at the Cowley House depot.

Mr Butler said: “‘One of our values at Oxford Bus Group is that we care for our people, and supporting the health and welfare of our staff is a key pillar of this. The pandemic highlighted the importance of good health, including access to vaccinations, so we’re proud to be able to offer this free service to colleagues to support their wellbeing through the winter season.”

Ioanna Prokou, Oxford Bus Group Occupational Health Manager added: “As part of our commitment to employee health and well-being, we’re excited to introduce the 2024-2025 influenza vaccine programme at Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and Pulhams for the first time this year. The enthusiastic response from colleagues highlights the importance of this initiative, helping to protect our employees, their families, and the customers we serve.

“Offering flu vaccines on-site provides convenient access to the programme, marking a significant step in reducing flu-related illness. I would like to extend my thanks to the trade union, managers, and colleagues for warmly welcoming and promoting this initiative, helping to make it a success. We look forward to expanding this programme next year to benefit even more parts of our business, supporting our colleagues in staying healthy throughout the season.”

ENDS