Jo-Anne turns a corner and finds a job that brings her joy.

Transdev’s Brisbane team wanted more female drivers and has partnered with The Salvation Army Employment Plus to help attract new recruits. They have 35 jobs (including training) on offer.

One of the women to have recently completed the intensive two months of bus driver training, upgraded her car-driver license and is now independently driving the local routes is Jo-Anne.

As the first graduate to come out of the partnership she is delighted by the new experiences her job brings.

“I’ve never had children and I get an enormous amount of satisfaction in welcoming the teens – who amble on board as typical teenagers – and making them feel seen and noticed. I love hearing them say ‘Bye Miss’ when they get off at their stop. I know they appreciate me giving them the time of day,” Jo-Anne says.

“It’s also important to me to ensure people with mobility challenges get on and off the bus comfortably. It takes minimal time to care for these people and I’m very conscious of that in how I drive, too. I’ve travelled on buses for years and suffered a few bumpy rides, so I try to ease into stops and manage turns smoothly.

“Learning to drive a bus was challenging at first – you’re making a turn for wheels that are moving about 8.5 metres behind the steering system and then you’ve got the routes to learn. But I’ve got them sorted now and I’m loving it.”

Prior to this latest chapter, Jo-Anne experienced a period of unemployment after caring for a sick parent and overcoming her own battle with cancer. She’d previously worked in a range of roles at corporate offices, a corrections facility and even spent time working as a job coach.

“Both Maureen and Matt at Employment Plus were fantastic. They’ve been my cheerleaders and helped me find a permanent part time role that I really enjoy. I feel excited to turn up to every shift.”

Those interested in more information on Queensland bus driving opportunities at Transdev Australasia can visit: www.transdev.com.au/become-a-bus-driver-with-transdev-queensland. Or if you are looking for something else, check out our other vacancies.