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:
Abey Marie Rimmer
Performance Supervisor
Go North West
What is your role?
My current role within Go North West is Performance Supervisor, working in their state of the art, Operations Control Centre (OCC) at our Bolton Depot, overseeing the operation, and managing service, assisting drivers with their issues, and offering assistance, on the road and making sure we meet our on time compliance, and minimize lost mileage across our network.
How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been passionate towards driving, starting with my car licence as soon as I was old enough, I passed my test, then moved into the trucking world and learning to drive an artic, then progressing onto driving a bus too, all these interests lead me to where I am today, hard work and lots of passion and enthusiasm towards the industry.
Did you experience any challenges getting to where you are today?
Many, like most new jobs, when first starting within the industry was challenging with rules and regulations, so having to learn a new skill, sometimes thinking it was out of reach, was kind of scary. Then moving forward into OCC, I always thought you needed a university degree to get these positions within companies.
If so, how did you overcome them?
Making sure to always see the silver linings even in the cloudiest days, there will always be setbacks. They’re not negative days, just challenge us more, and maybe just try things another way next time, or learn a new skill for the thing I want to achieve, contrary to what I believed before I had started, Go North West have offered me so many amazing opportunities, and I have realised that as long as I keep learning and working hard, I can achieve my dreams.
What do you like about the sector?
I love working in this sector because it brings me a lot of joy to be able to work with the movements of the buses and to be able to help the drivers on the road and the company by making sure things run smoothly during the day, making sure that the customer is always at the heart of everything that drives us, making sure that the Go North West values are used in everything that I do, making sure that we minimize waste within the company for the environment, making sure we are always caring for our assets.
What does a typical day look like?
The thing I love most about my job is that there is an outline basis of what we do as a team, but every day is very different experiencing new challenges that each new day brings, we work on an operational level 24/7 so there is a lot that changes through-out the day, but mostly I will be answering calls to the drivers and helping them, working with our engineering teams to keep the services running, dealing with incidents on the road and any issues that may occur.
What advice would you give to women thinking about a career in the bus, coach or community transport sector?
I would advise any women who is thinking about a career in the industry to 100% try, as a female I was worried when starting into what has been up until now a mostly male dominated environment, but to my surprise, this is not how it was at all, I have met so many genuine people. Some lovely women who have inspired me. and men who have supported me, both very much interchangeable in themselves.
What has been your bus, coach or community transport sector career highlight?
There is many, one would definitely be the day I drove a double decker bus for the first time and another the day I joined the Performance team.
What things could the bus, coach and community transport sector do to improvement the industry for women?
I feel like having more female friendly cabs would be a good addition, along with more facilities for women on the road.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
In 5 years, I hope to be keep moving within the bus industry, I have always been drawn to leadership roles, to help guide others to see the best in themselves and to help run a successful business, I hope to still be with Go North West as I feel there is a sense of family among the staff and it is a lovely, welcoming atmosphere!
Thank you for sharing Abey Marie, your story truly makes a difference.
To find out more about who Abey Marie works for, and career opportunities visit: https://gonorthwest.co.uk/careers/
