Bus company slammed for 'offensive' decision to 'rebrand' Pride bus to an NHS one instead

Plymouth Citybus has come under fire for the "offensive" decision to "rebrand" a bus dedicated to Pride as an NHS one instead.

The company actually bragged about this on Twitter, presumably unaware of how it would go down.

Many have pointed out that coopting the LGBTQ+ flag is hugely problematic and diminishes the importance of fighting for equality.

And that the NHS workers the company is purporting to support deserves its own logo rather than a lazy "rebranding" of an existing one.

It's also worth noting that the rainbows aren't actually the same. A cursory google will show that while the Pride flag has six distinct colours, the rainbow used to symbolise solidarity usually has seven, with an extra shade of blue added to match the NHS logo.

See for yourself:

The irony of this happening yesterday, less than 24 hours before the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia was also not lost.

It's possible that they were trying to show support for LGBTQ+ NHS workers, but that doesn't really make much sense either and people were not here for it.

It's worth noting that bus drivers are also key workers during the pandemic, risking their wellbeing to ensure society continues to function. If Plymouth Citybus wanted to show their support, that might have been a good place to start... but perhaps the optics aren't as good.

Supporting NHS workers, healthcare professionals in general, LGBTQ+ people, bus drivers and other communities which need it shouldn't be relegated to what happens to be on trend at a given time. Brands need to do better.

indy100 has reached out to Plymouth Citybus for comment.