Going Places on the Beaches

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A JOB WHERE YOU HAVE GREAT JOB SECURITY, CAN TAKE CARE OF OTHERS, WORK LOCAL TO THE BEACHES, AND GET GREAT PERKS? STATE TRANSIT MIGHT HAVE THE RIGHT GIG FOR YOU AND ARE NOW RECRUITING BUS DRIVERS ON THE NORTHERN BEACHES.

Words: DONNA ARMSTRONG

With over 2100 buses and eight depots in Sydney including depots at Brookvale and Mona Vale, State Transit is on the lookout for friendly faces to join their social-loving tribe of bus operators on the Northern Beaches.

With a long list of accolades, including family-friendly and rotating work hours, a $700,000 company vehicle, fi ve weeks of holidays every year plus other perks, what’s not to love?

One bus driver, Liz, used to work in account management and sales in IT. After facing two redundancies in three years, she started looking for something a little more stable.

“I’m doing a Bachelor of Business (now) and because I work broken shifts, I get a number of hours in the middle of the day to study and keep on top of course work,” she says. “None of my friends have heavy vehicle licenses so I’m pretty happy I’ve been able to do something others haven’t.”

During the pandemic, State Transit maintained everyone’s employment and not one person was displaced. They even continued to hire new bus operators proving it’s a very secure profession.

Training to be a bus driver is an intensive and extremely rewarding experience and no previous experience is required. Drivers are paid while being trained, and get a nationally-recognised qualifi cation while you work.

“Drivers get continual training and most are signed up to a traineeship,” says Will Treglown, from People and Culture, State Transit.

“The initial induction / onboarding period is three months - the fi rst week is classroom based, the second is licence upgrade and practical heavy vehicle driver training, and the third is in-service training with customers on the bus.”

“Drivers are then off by themselves with fortnightly sessions with Trainers. After this period, general traineeship training is provided to obtain a qualifi cation.”

WORK TO SUIT YOUR LIFESTYLE

With full-time and part-time work to choose from, being a bus operator is a great job to suit any lifestyle.

“This work has given me my work and my social life,” says Andrew, who has been a bus driver for 26 years.

“I’m the secretary of the social club. I love doing things, making people happy and talking to people,” he laughs, in a video by the State Transit Authority called Meet Bus Driver Andrew.

“We do BBQs twice a week, there’s table tennis, snooker, sports days…,” he adds. “The hours are great and the money is good. I bought a Harley Davidson. I went to Cairns. Found a beautiful block of land and built a beautiful house on it and I’m retiring at the end of the year. This job has helped me do that.”

With competitive pay and good perks, including free travel, being a bus driver is not only rewarding work but it also supports a balanced lifestyle.

“It’s a great environment to work in, with rotating shifts with various start times,” says William. “Lifestyle shifts with (off peak) middle of the day, off duty to surf, exercise, or fi sh. There are gyms at most depots and driving on the Northern Beaches is great fun - you can drive family members to where they need to get to.”

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT

As a driver with STA, employees can work close to home, with like-minded people, and open themselves up to great opportunities. Johno has been a bus driver for three weeks and is already looking forward to the future.

“There are a lot more opportunities in State Transit,” he says.

“I know plenty of people that used to be bus operators that are now doing training, and some have gone on to become Depot Managers so there’s plenty of room to grow.” •

THE STA HAS LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUS OPERATORS AT DEPOTS ON THE NORTHERN BEACHES

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN APPLYING OR LEARNING MORE, SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT: WWW.DRIVEWITHSTATETRANSIT.COM.AU

• Work at Brookvale and Mona Vale depot • Competitive salary and job security

• Part time and full time positions • No experience required Enquire / Email: busdriverjobs@transport.nsw.gov.au drivewithstatetransit.com.au