Meet Karen Cowan, a mother of four girls aged between 6 to 23 years old. She is celebrating a whole decade with Transport Canberra after joining the driver team in 2013.
Karen had previously worked as a baker and had no experience driving heavy vehicles. She decided to get behind the wheel of a bus because she loves driving and thought it would be an excellent opportunity to earn great pay for doing something she’s passionate about.
In the lead up the Mother’s Day, Karen remembers the initial challenges of juggling work and family life especially when her children were younger. The flexibility of life at Transport Canberra and the support from her husband, family and manager has allowed her to maintain a good life balance.
Being a driver has enabled Karen to learn all the different routes and see parts of Canberra that she never knew existed. She also loves meeting different people and getting to know her regular passengers.
Her children excitedly ask to hear stories about her day. “My littlest one always asks about my day and how many kids I picked up from school,” said Karen.
“Once I get my heavy vehicle license, I get to drive the big bendy buses and that's pretty fun. That's also my daughter's favourite bus and she reckons she's going to be a bus driver because she wants to drive the big bendy buses too”.
When Karen is not behind the wheel she loves spending time outdoors, going on holidays and enjoying walks on the beach with her family. She also enjoys the network of friends she has made at Transport Canberra and the friendship of her manager Leoni, who is also a mother.
If you happen to catch Karen driving in the Gungahlin area, say hi and wish her a happy Mother's Day!
