Our priority is the safety of customers and staff and we are continuing to provide the services which the community rely on each day for essential travel during COVID-19.
We wanted you to meet some of our team members who work behind the scenes to ensure that we can continue providing our community with public transport during COVID-19.
Meet Nat and Mandy! Nat and Mandy are our North and South region Customer Service Managers based at the Belconnen and Tuggeranong depots. Together they have over 27 years’ experience at Transport Canberra (TC)!
On a day to day basis Nat and Mandy provide support for our drivers and ensure that our customers remain a key focus in our daily operations. They are also our point of contact for school services and play a critical role in promoting safe and healthy hygiene practices throughout the depots, to keep both staff and passengers safe.
We sat down with Nat and Mandy to ask them a few questions about working at TC during COVID-19.
Mandy (left) and Nat (right)
How has COVID-19 affected your day to day work life at TC?
I think it certainly highlights the vital role TC plays in the community to ensure workers, particularly those in essential services, are able to get to their workplace each day. Mandy
The extra measures introduced in the buses to keep our drivers safe has been a change to how we operate but we’ve all turned up every day, to keep the wheels turning. Nat
How important is public transport during these times?
Many essential workers, along with those without a car or other options for getting to and from their workplace, rely on TC to transport them. Vulnerable people and those requiring groceries, medication etc need to be assured that our hard-working bus drivers will provide their usual services to and from shopping and medical centres during these times. Mandy
Our services carry people who are travelling for various reasons, every day of the year. We need to keep the services going so our customers can continue with their essential travel, particularly those who depend solely on public transport. Some of these individuals are the most vulnerable and potentially isolated in our community, however they are as equally important and entitled to be able to get to where they need to go. Nat
What message do you have for the community to help them stay safe when using public transport?
Remember to keep your fellow passengers, the bus driver and yourself safe by loading via the rear doors.
Of course, if you have a pram or any other medical reason whereby you need to board via the front door, just let the driver know and he/she will lower the bus to assist! It’s very important not to travel if you’re feeling unwell, and to practice social distancing when onboard. Mandy
I would ask customers to continue with the guidelines we have been encouraged to follow over the past few months, including making efforts to keep at least 1.5 metres from fellow travellers, where possible.
Please understand that our drivers are also feeling vulnerable and giving them the required physical distance, so they can continue to do their job, enables them to feel safe delivering services to the public.
That said, the drivers and all of us depot staff are very grateful and privileged to have a job we love that we can continue to go to every day. Nat
Thank you Nat and Mandy for your continued efforts during COVID-19.
For more on protecting yourself and others from the spread of COVID-19, see protect yourself.
