Transdev has partnered with New South Wales’ leading HIV and LGBTQ+ health provider ACON for its Ending HIV campaign, Then and Now – This is Ending HIV Transmission, celebrating 40 years of HIV prevention progress in NSW.

With 1980s-inspired visuals, the campaign highlights advances in prevention, testing, and treatment, emphasizing stigma reduction, condom use, regular testing and effective treatment to achieve zero transmissions.

A Transdev John Holland bus has been wrapped to raise awareness for the campaign, which runs until the 31st March. 

Transdev is committed to equality and inclusion. Diversity in all its forms makes us stronger and better able to serve our customers and communities. 

To mark the occasion during the Lunar New Year Festival in Sydney, Transdev has teamed up with Torch Media and City of Sydney to wrap a Sydney tram in a Lucky 8 Snakes design.

Talented Australian-Chinese artist Chrissy Lau combined the lucky colours of red and yellow with the lucky number 8 in this eye-catching artwork.

The wrapped tram will run in the CBD and south east network for several weeks.

In New Zealand, Auckland commuters will also see a specially wrapped double decker bus and bus stop to celebrate the Lunar Year of the Snake.

Here’s a look at the bus courtesy of Auckland Transport and Chinese Herald, featuring our Journey Makers Chenyu Gong, Navpreet Singh and Gordalem Padayogdog from Howick & Eastern bus operations.

Kris was riding his bike across the Sydney Harbour Bridge many years ago when he spotted a ferry and thought it looked like a good job so turned his bike around to ask for a job at a local ferry company. The rest is history.

Half a century on – Kris met his wife on a Manly ferry trip and one of his sons has also joined the ferry team with Chook now one of Transdev’s most senior masters.

The 200-person capacity vessel which uses 40% less diesel and is future-proofed for electric conversion, is named after University of New South Wales solar technology pioneer Professor Martin Green.

It’s the fourth of seven new ferries being introduced on the F3 Parramatta—Circular Quay route, which are more comfortable, realiable and sustainable.

Passengers boarded the historic first L4 Westmead – Carlingford tram service today at 5am. 

Parramatta Light Rail is a 12km tramway with 16 accessible stops.

The project will be run and maintained by Great River City Light Rail (GRCLR), a joint venture between Transdev and CAF.

It’s an honour to be part of delivering a project that truly reflects the needs and spirit of the community we serve.

The tram line received its safety tick to run from the rail regulator this week after months of rigorous safety testing and commissioning and an ongoing public safety campaign to remind the community about trams.

Tram doors will open on the new L4 Westmead & Carlingford Line on, with first passenger services from Carlingford and Westmead light rail stops tomorrow [Friday 20 December] at 5.00am and at Parramatta Square at 5:02am. 

Parramatta Light Rail is a 12km tramway with 16 stops between Westmead and Carlingford with each tram able to carry up to 400 people. It connects Parramatta to the Westmead Health Precinct, CommBank Stadium, Parramatta Square, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and three Western Sydney University campuses. 

The $2.875b project has been built and will be run and maintained by Great River City Light Rail (GRCLR), a joint venture between Transdev and CAF.

GRCLR Chair and Transdev Australia and New Zealand CEO Brian Brennan said bringing the trams back to Parramatta was a historic and proud moment. 

“This really is such transformational public transport that will open up Parramatta and support the liveability and growth of Western Sydney for the years ahead,” Mr Brennan said.

“Our journey makers are ready to serve customers and can’t wait for people to experience the trams – like we do on Sydney’s existing three tram lines.

“The NSW Government’s investment in light rail is enabling and supporting so many Sydney communities.

“Public transport is such a powerful enabler for growing cities.”

CAF Rail Australia Director Pedro Pellon said CAF was proud to be a key partner in the delivery of the Parramatta Light Rail. 

“We’re pleased CAF continues delivering transport solutions to NSW with Parramatta Light Rail, a game changing project for Western Sydney,” Mr Pellon said.

“The strong partnership between TfNSW, Transdev and CAF has made it possible to deliver a complex project that will change the way of commuting for thousands of people.”

To date, the project has provided employment to 3420 people with a core Parramatta Light Rail team of about 150 people, including 55 drivers. 

60% of frontline staff are Western Sydney residents and 40% of frontline staff are women, working as drivers, authorised officers, customer service officers and network controllers. Collaborations with employment and community service providers opened opportunities for jobseekers with disabilities, first nation peoples and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. 

Mr Brennan said he thanked the community for its patience during construction and the entire Parramatta team to have the trams ready for Christmas.

“Big thanks to our whole team, including our partners and contractors from CAF and Laing O’Rouke, who have done well to get the trams running.”

For more information, visit www.nsw.gov.au/parramatta-light-rail  

Parramatta Light Rail fast facts: 

  • L4: Sydney’s 4th tram line
  • 12km between Westmead and Carlingford
  • 16 accessible stops
  • Weekday services: every 9mins in peak 7am-7pm, 12-16mins off-peak
  • Weekend services: every 12mins in peak 7am-7pm, 16mins in off peak 
  • 13 trams weighing 63 tonnes each, able to carry up to 400 people
  • First NSW green track – 1.3kms (no overhead wiring)

Decorated buses from Sydney’s 10 bus regions vied for the festive crown this year.

Chief judge Mateo, who inspected the buses from his stay at the Westmead Children’s Hospital, declared the 373 bus to Coogee the winner.

TJHB bus driver Mauro Fernandes and Customer Experience Officer Angela Christie spent three weeks decorating the inside and outside of  the bus with +350m of tinsel and +1500 Christmas lights.

The following reduced timetable will run:

L1 Dulwich Hill Line

  • Thursday: No trams 11pm – 1am, customers should consider alternate travel including bus, train, and metro services.
  • Friday/Saturday
    • 7am-7pm: trams between Central Grand Concourse and Lilyfield every 10mins (Fri), 15mins (Sat)
    • buses between Lilyfield and Dulwich Hill.
    • 5am-7am & 7pm-1am: buses between Central Grand Concourse and Dulwich Hill.

L2 Randwick Line

  • Thursday: No trams 11pm – 1am, customers should consider alternate travel including bus, train, and metro services.
  • Friday/Saturday:
    • 7am-7pm: trams between Central Chalmers Street and Randwick every 10mins both Friday and Saturday.
    • 5am-7am & 7pm-1am:
      • buses between Central Chalmers Street and Randwick.
      • no services between Central Chalmers Street and Circular Quay

L3 Kingsford Line

  • Thursday: No trams 11pm – 1am, customers should consider alternate travel including bus, train, and metro services.
  • Friday/Saturday:
    • 7am-7pm: trams between Central Chalmers Street and Juniors Kingsford every 10mins Friday and Saturday.
    • 5am-7am & 7pm-1am:
      • buses between Central Chalmers Street and Juniors Kingsford.
      • No services between Central Chalmers Street and Circular Quay, customers should consider alternate travel including regular bus, train, and metro services.

Customers should plan ahead, consider catching regular buses, and for those who can, consider working from home on Friday, 15 November 2024.

Staff will be stationed across the tram network to help customers. We expect normal tram services to resume from Sunday morning, 17 November 2024.

Transdev Sydney Managing Director Arsene Durand-Raucher apologised for the inconvenience of this industrial action.

“The Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) wants tram drivers to reduce tram speeds to less than 10 kilometres an hour unless the State Government cut fares to 50¢ a trip and also ran trams 24/7,” Mr Durand-Raucher said.

“Driving trams at less than 10kmh poses real safety risks around driver fatigue and breaks, signaling, and road and pedestrian traffic disruptions particularly passing so slowly through intersections.

“This action has made demands about fares and hours of operations which we don’t control.

“Our pay offer was recently voted down by the RTBU which included an 18% wage increase over four years, 11 days of paid sick leave and 50 weeks of backpay.

“Transdev has been attempting to meet with the RTBU all week, including this weekend, but unfortunately the union has been unable to sit down with us.

“We apologise for this disruption and thank passengers for their understanding.”

Siva joined a group of industry, government and community experts last week  in Sydney to tackle the challenge of ensuring safer coexistence between trams and bike riders. 

As the operator of Sydney Light Rail, Transdev runs an annual public safety forum which explores a different topic each year and creates a platform for diverse voices to improve safety on our shared roads and tramways.

Chief Executive Officer at Bicycle NSW Peter McLean spoke about the increasing popularity of riding with more than 1.2m bike users at least once a week in NSW and the safety outcomes already achieved with light rail.

“Light rail and cycles are part of our ongoing transport mix, which makes harmonisation between these modes so important,” Mr McLean said.

“George Street in the centre of the city is now one of the safest places, with the lowest safety incidences, is a fact to be celebrated.”

Transdev Sydney Light Rail General Manager Safety & Assurance Amanda Tarbotton emphasised the importance of collaboration and behavioural change in promoting safety.

“Mobile phones, noise cancelling headphones and the increasing number of  delivery riders all introduce risks,” she said.

“This is a call to action, to collaborate and ideate, develop solutions which can prevent safety incidences before they happen.”

"Getting the right people in the room to drive meaningful, long-lasting outcomes on safety across the light rail network is something we’re building a strong and a positive reputation for."

Arsene Durand-Raucher, Sydney Light Rail Managing Director

A panel session featured Uber Australia’s Sarah Nader, Parramatta Bike Hub’s Charlene Bordley, City of Sydney’s Cycling Strategy Manager Fiona Campbell and Transdev’s Amanda Tarbotton.

The panel explored the intersecting needs of different stakeholders in a collaborative way from designing networks to daily network use.

Uber, Sarah Nader: “It’s important to remember that as much as bike paths are for commuters or recreational reasons, for delivery riders, this is their mode of transport and work and they need to be considered in the way we design or shape networks.”

City of Sydney, Fiona Campbell: “We’ve come leaps and bounds in the past few decades, with over 25km of bike paths in the city of Sydney now, a reflection both of our increased need and understanding.”

Parramatta Bike Hub, Charlene Bordley: “The key motivator for new riders or people thinking about riding, is safety.”

Sydney Light Rail Managing Director Arsene Durand-Raucher concluded the event by highlighting how our people and the broader community could drive change.

“Getting the right people in the room to drive meaningful, long-lasting outcomes on safety across the light rail network is something we’re building a strong and a positive reputation for,” Mr Durand-Raucher said.

“This year’s event continued to reinforce that reputation.”

Images from our 2024 Public Safety Forum

Transdev supported Mr Geary to complete his Certificate III in Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology apprenticeship through Western Sydney TAFE in Wetherill Park earlier this year.

As one of Transdev John Holland’s bus maintenance team, Mr Geary helped keep a fleet of 478 buses on the road, primarily through his mechanical work at the Waverley bus depot. He recently joined CDC NSW to work closer to home.

This was Mr Geary’s second apprenticeship after originally completing Automotive Vehicle Body Building and Automotive Airconditioning training back in 2012.

The 35-year-old’s BusNSW award acknowledged his teamwork, professionalism and dedication to the industry since putting his training into practice in the workshop this year.

Transdev supports and encourages about 200 apprentices and trainees across Australia in varied fields from mechanical, to maritime and driving roles.

Mr Geary said vocational training had opened so many new doors in an industry continuously changing especially with more electric vehicles.

“I have gained so much knowledge to improve my capability in the workshop, being able to fault-find with speed and accuracy when doing jobs,” he said.

“Having the theoretical and practical knowledge behind me will allow me to be an engaged and successful manager as I move up the career ladder.

“I am grateful for the support that Transdev John Holland Buses has given me during my apprenticeship.”

Mr Geary said he loved working in the maintenance team under Head of Asset Maintenance Bruno Martino.

“I find that learning from experienced mechanics is one of the best things vocational training can offer – that mix of classroom and on-the-job training is awesome. You can’t beat it,” Mr Geary said.

“I encourage anyone who is unsure about their career, or maybe looking for a change, to seriously consider an apprenticeship or traineeship as the demand for skilled trades is only growing.

“Age does not matter; don’t hold back, embrace it! Adult apprentices often already have years of work experience under their belt which can make the transition to an apprenticeship easier.”

Transdev’s Head of Learning and Talent Kiersten Hocking said Mr Geary was a great example for apprentices.

“Matt is such a great ambassador for the industry and we’re just glad he’s continuing on his journey in the industry,” she said. 

“We hope our team can help more driven apprentices like Matt.”

As a BusNSW award winner, Mr Geary will now be in contention for a national award at the 2024 Bus Industry Confederation awards on Thursday 21 November.

Transdev’s Brisbane team have embraced Funky Shirt Fridays – wearing colourful shirts to help prompt meaningful conversations for mental health.

All of Transdev’s 270 odd Brisbane team, including all bus drivers and office staff, can wear the colourful shirts every Friday.

It’s part of a partnership with workwear label Trademutt to use the shirts to prompt conversations about mental health. 

Transdev has ordered 300 funky shirts which also helps support TIACS, a professional mental health counselling service for tradies, truckies, farmers and blue collar workers created by TradeMutt. 

Transdev Queensland Managing Director Mark Thatcher said the shirts were very colourful and loud.

“You definitely can’t miss them and that’s what it’s about,” Mr Thatcher said.

“We’re hoping the shirt can help be another way of helping prompt a chat with our customers and each other.

“Our drivers do an amazing job and many already know many of the people on the regular routes. The more we can foster that connection the better.

“It’s a great custom local shirt design too featuring some iconic waterways of the Redlands and iconic Brisbane bridges including the Story and William Jolly Bridge.

“Our people take our safety and service seriously, but usually not ourselves or our fashion sense.

“So, if you see your driver in a new shirt on Fridays, say hi, share something about yourself and see where the conversation goes.”

Photography by: leahdesboroughphotographer.

Transdev started running the first of 18 new electric, zero emission buses on Saturday after a welcome event for the new vehicles at Matagarup Bridge, announced by Minister for Transport, Rita Saffioti MLA. 

Four electric buses will enter service soon with the remaining 14 to be delivered progressively in the next nine months.

The major electric network investment is funded by the Federal and WA Governments in partnership with Transdev, Volvo and Volgren.

Transdev Western Australia Managing Director Bob Parton said Transdev was looking forward to running the new vehicles for Perth commuters. 

“It is exciting to see governments and industry work together and grow Perth’s electric bus network,” Mr Parton said.

“This electrification is part of our ongoing push to lower Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“The new buses are cleaner, quieter and they are super efficient and reliable.

“Our team has helped support the rollout of these new vehicles including Scott McEvoy, Renee Tyler and Stuart McHarg.”

Transdev is a global zero emissions bus leader with more than +2,500 zero-emission vehicles in 13 countries and Europe’s largest zero emission fleet.

We are working with our Australian and New Zealand government clients to build cleaner, greener bus networks by electrifying more buses and depots.

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