International Women’s Day 2026 

This Sunday 8 March marks International Women’s Day. 

At Keolis, we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where all employees are valued and rewarded fairly. 

Our Wickham team proudly features 40% female representation in roles such as Light Rail Vehicle Operators and Operations Controllers. Additionally, 25% of our ferry team is female, including our first full-time female Ferry Master. 

We also take pride in having strong female representation in professional and managerial roles. 

While we still have a way to go, we actively support women in transport through initiatives like job share trials for greater flexibility, as well as training and mentorship programs.  

We are also committed to supporting the health and well-being of our staff through our annual Pink Bus Breast Screen initiative, which has encouraged female staff to prioritise regular mammograms since 2011.  

Meet Kathleen Lynch, Team Manager 

Kathleen Lynch is celebrating 33 years in the industry this year and longest service female.  

Kathleen was a ‘bus kid’.  

“My grandmother ran the cafeteria at Hamilton Depot and my grandfather was a bus driver. I remember coming into the depot for movie nights, going to Speers Point Family Day and having lunch in the cafeteria,” she says.  

She started her career in the regular army.  

“I was transitioning into the army reserves when my friend suggested I get a job as a bus driver. It was about 1993 when I started as a part-timer in Belmont and at that time it took an average of 18 months to get an offer of a full-time position. I worked with a guy named Tony McCombie at the time. Tony had a yacht so the group that I started with used to go sailing in our breaks.  

Moving on up 

Kathleen was given the chance to do a relief depot officer position in Belmont and then she moved into customer service roles in revenue protection and driving the district truck to help with accidents, breakdowns and timing issues.  

She then rose through the ranks, becoming a Duty Officer and Team Manager at Hamilton, eventually becoming the Belmont Team Manager.  

Kathleen absolutely loves her job.  

“We have a great team. It will be so hard to retire. This job has given both me and my family such great opportunities,” she says. 

When asked about life as a working mother, Kathleen concedes that it was hard.  

“We operate around two peak times to get everyone else to and from home to their family. It was hard when I was raising my children but I was lucky to have good family support,” she says.  

“This is a social job. Down at Belmont, we have table tennis tables, a gym and the team go down to Sydney to compete with other Depots with a variety of athletic events. Because we have ‘Work As Directed’ (WAD) time at the depot, the teams end up spending lots of time with workmates,” she says. 

Opportunities for women 

Would she tell other women to do this job? Kathleen says that while it’s still male-dominated, there are more women doing this kind of work. 

“The pay and facilities are really good. It’s an ideal job for empty nesters looking for a career change. All you need is customer service skills, a good driving record, a Working With Children check and driver authority. We train you in the rest,” says Kathleen. 

Off duty 

When she’s not working, Kathleen loves swimming, bike riding, hanging out with her three Boston Terriers and going camping with her family. 

She’s just finished a large extension and renovation to her retirement house at Forster Tuncurry; the home that is waiting for her when she can finally bring herself to say goodbye to her long career in the bus industry.