The Women in Bus and Coach “Spotlight On” initiative shines a light on the incredible contributions of women in all roles across the bus, coach, and community transport sector. From professional drivers and engineers to human resources experts and CEO’s, ‘Spotlight On’ will highlight the diverse talents and achievements of women in this dynamic industry.
Today we focus on and find out about:
Suzy Kettle
Driver
Dial-a-Ride, Woodford
Transport for London
Tell us a little bit about your journey to becoming a bus driver
Hi my name is Suzy kettle, I am a single mum of two children aged 13-15 when I started in 2013. I felt like it was my time to have not just a life of my own but a person to be called Suzy not just(mum). After applying in August 2012, I was given several tests to do I passed i was thrilled, then a driving test followed by a face-to-face interview, map reading test English and maths exam and role play. After being accepted I bugged HR for months just eager to start I knew this was for me.
How did you get to where you are today?
Training at first for 3 weeks in the class room was really interesting also intense with a 3 hour exam at the end, I wondered if I would be able to do it but once we passed and were deployed to our assigned depots we were given buddy drivers mine were Russell Austin- Richard O’Brian, although there is a lot of responsibility and duty of care to your passengers I just felt an sense of being and purpose, to be able to put a smile on someone’s face get them out of the house felt just like I were taking my family out. If they don’t have family of their own, we might be the only person they see all week and have a conversation with them is everything.
Did you experience any challenges getting to where you are today?
Challenges I have faced would probably be trying to work even though having health issues, but one of the biggest has been going through the menopause, out buses get extremely hot hitting a whopping 52 since being mainly glass and fibreglass whilst having hot flushes some days have been challenging to work at all but we keep the vulnerable people of London moving still.
If so, how did you overcome them?
Trying to overcome these challenges firstly make sure the AC is fully topped up, secondly plenty of water to drink and offer the passengers, since they may have been waiting in the heat for your arrival, also a cool bag full of ice cubes and a cool down towel.
What do you like about the sector? What inspired you to get involved?
I had spent time looking after my grandparents and saw all the little things that made a difference to their life, I saw a dial a ride bus parked by my sisters and wondered what it was all about searched it up and thought I would love that, whilst looking in the job centre out popped an ad for TFL dial a ride , I couldn’t believe it but thought it was a sign . I love being able to make a difference to someone’s day.
What did a typical day look like?
A typical day starts with collecting your pouch checking your bus over to make sure it’s totally road safe as this is a safety critical roll signing onto your shift to see where the first job is , follow your navigation on your MDT to your passengers pick up point alighting them in a safe manner, checking the drop off destination is correct then ensuring that your passenger has a smooth and safe drive keeping them up to date with any changes that might happen during their ride . Ie: traffic, added pick up along with the safest drop off for them whether your passenger is an ambulant passenger or wheelchair user your day is always different every job is different.
What advice would you give to women thinking about a career in the bus, coach or community transport sector?
Join, join, join would be my advice to any woman thinking of joining DAR, the way I see it is it’s a fantastic job, you are mainly your own boss out there and the way I see it is that I get paid to pick up family and friends , as I treat everyone with the same respect as I do my loved ones , it’s got fantastic benefits to being part of the TfL family.
What has been your bus, coach sector or community transport career highlight?
Highlights of this job for me is that I get to get up every day thinking I love the job I do even though the days may be hard, the feel-good part of this job keeps you going the smiles you get from people who need to use DAR says it all.
What three things could the Bus and Coach sector do to improvement the industry for Women?
I think three things that could help improve for women are:
- More support when women are at that time in their life where menopause hits, working in 50-degree heat loading wheelchairs, and making sure everything is done safely whilst having a hot flush is torture
- Really put it out there to women that this isn’t just a job for a man, we can do this too.
- A bit of flexibility for women in all areas.
What changes have you seen since in the sector since you joined?
Unfortunately changes that I have seen is that women are either not getting past that point of interviewing because of family life, or they are just not applying although I have put several women forward with no success, so more women to apply so more advertisements for this.
Anything else you would like to share?
For me this job totally makes me flourish in who I am and how I want to carry myself in life to be able to give back to others , even on my hardest days makes me smile because we all need that feel good feeling , to be able to get that from the job you do I think is great, so I would like to say Women out there this is for you ,You can do it ,You will love it, I do.
Thank you for sharing Suzy, your story truly makes a difference.
To find out more about who Suzy works for, and career opportunities visit: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/dial-a-ride/
