In focus | women in transport

Transdev has made the commitment to make a 100 per cent improvement to its current female recruitment figures in 12 months.

TRANSDEV SUPPORTING WOMEN IN TRANSPORT

To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, local bus operator Transdev is working hard to change the face of public transport and the transport industry more broadly, it reports.

In the past four years the company has recruited 76 female bus drivers and five female maintenance staff, it confirms.

Recently, it launched its Women in Transport initiative with a goal to

“make a 100 per cent improvement to their current female recruitment figures in 12 months”.

At its Bankstown Depot event, managing director Robert Macey announced the initiative.

“We want to remove the barriers and make a career in public transport more accessible for women,” he said.

“We are working to create mum-friendly driver and workshop rosters to provide greater flexibility and working with councils to improve on-the-road amenities for women.

“We are also establishing mentor groups and expanding our community engagement to partner with local women’s charities to support them as and where possible,” he added.

THAT’S A WRAP!

East Hills MP Wendy Lindsay and Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Councillor Khal Asfour were also in attendance to support the announcement.

To mark the occasion and promote its female recruitment efforts, one of Transdev’s coaches was wrapped in purple and features two female employees, bus driver Fenella Davidson and mechanic Callie Milne. While public transport is traditionally a male-dominated industry, Transdev is doing its bit to encourage more women to join their ranks in all roles, it states.

PROUD WOMEN

New bus driver Davidson made a career change last year and hasn’t looked back, she explained.

“When I started training there was another female in the group and we really leaned on each other, which was super helpful,” said Davidson.

“For the whole journey so far the men have been really great. They’re always there to offer advice and the management team have been awesome.”

I feel so lucky to be doing a job that I love and hope that other young women consider a career in this fi eld.

Four years ago, apprentice mechanic Milne swapped her nursing scrubs for overalls to fulfi l her lifelong dream to become a mechanic.

“The workshop is a very male-dominated space, but I know I am treated as an equal by my colleagues. I feel so lucky to be doing a job that I love and hope that other young women consider a career in this fi eld,” she said.

Both women are proud to promote their careers within public transport and be part of the changing face at Transdev, the company says.

ABOUT TRANSDEV

Transdev says it believes public transport plays an important part in how a city comes to life. Its day-to-day work infl uences families, friends and future generations where they live, work and play, it explains.

In Australasia, Transdev has 5,704 people passionate about operating its 2,150 vehicles and vessels, which deliver more than 145 million customer journeys each year.

Above:

While public transport is traditionally a male-dominated industry, Transdev is doing its bit to encourage more women to join their ranks in all roles, it states.

TRANSDEV ADDRESSING MORE DIVERSE TRANSPORT SECTOR

THE AMBITION to deliver more equal gender representation in the workplace is helping mobility provider Transdev create a more diverse workforce and smash out-dated social traditions, it reports recently. Since committing to the target in 2018, women now make up to close to 30 per cent of new employees hired at Transdev.

In its rail and light-rail operations, women now account for more than 42 per cent of new recruits – 20 per cent greater than industry-wide representation within the rail sector, it explains.

Transdev Australasia’s head of talent, diversity and inclusion and learning and engagement, Donna Jones, explained that there had been significant gains in the past two years in breaking down out-dated perceptions about a career in public transport.

“Traditionally, one of the biggest barriers for women pursuing a career in public transport has been around the perceived lack of flexibility, which particularly affects those with carer responsibilities. To combat this, Transdev have made flexible work options available for all employees, including our frontline teams.

“In Melbourne we a have developed a specialised all-female recruitment and training program designed and delivered by women to support women in transitioning to a career in public transport, by providing them with mentoring and training so that they can gain the experience and confidence to become a bus driver.”

In 2020, women accounted for 27.7 per cent of new recruits in Transdev’s Sydney Ferry operations and 17.7 per cent in the company’s Australian and New Zealand bus operations, the company reports.

For New South Wales bus trainee Fenella Davidson, participating in Transdev’s Journey Maker Academy bus driver training program helped improve her confidence during her transition from a career in the corporate sector, Transdev explains.

“The trainers are excellent; they take their time building your skills and encouraging you,” Davidson stated.

“My main issue was nerves and my trainer spent a lot of time giving me the confidence to believe in myself,” she said.

Now a newly qualified driver, she can’t believe what a difference a career change has made to her personally, Transdev states.

“I feel more awake,” she joked.

CASE STUDY: KATIE DRIVER

Transdev Perth bus team member Katie Driver is embracing a new flexible lifestyle as a bus driver.

A proud Torres Strait Islander, Driver has a family connection to public transport through her mother, who is a driver at Transdev’s Fremantle depot.

After working in the mining sector covering challenging night-shift cleaning roles, Driver was keen to find a new opportunity that would give her more time to spend with friends, family and pursue further study.

“I was keen to get back to study so I wanted a role that would give me flexibility to combine study and work.”

Driver applied for the Journey Maker Academy training at Transdev – a four-week intensive training program for new drivers.

“At first the training was a little challenging, but the more we went through different scenarios the easier it got.

“They took the time to teach us all the different bus types and instruments, and we had lots of time to practise techniques until we were confident.

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