What it does: Provides public transport
Staff stats: 83,000 globally, 5,700 in Australia/New Zealand
The good bits: Friendly co-workers, diverse workplaces
The not so good bits: Long hours
Transdev is one of those giant multinationals that many members of the general public have never heard of despite the role it plays in their lives.
Transdev’s roots can be traced back to Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (Deposits and Consignments Fund). This was created in 1816 and essentially operates as the French state’s investment arm. Its other progenitor, Veolia Transport, has only been around since 1997, when it was established under the name CGEA Transport.
Long story short, the present iteration of Transdev came into being in 2011.
It operates “13 modes of transport including bus, heavy and light rail, ferry, coach, car-sharing, paratransit, shared-ride airport shuttle, bicycle and taxi” on five continents.
It manages 41,000 vehicles located across 19 countries and is a world leader in passenger-transport services.
The company splits its operations into four zones, one of which is Australasia (i.e. Australia and New Zealand). In this part of the world, Transdev operates bus and ferry as well as light and heavy rail services. Its Antipodean fleet comprises 2150 vehicles and vessels, which are responsible for over 145 million customer journeys a year. The company believes “our customer and client focus, commitment to innovation and provision of safe travel lies at the heart of our success and continued growth”.
Transdev is headquartered in Paris. In 2017 it had revenue of €6.6 billion (A$10.2 billion).
Transport has long been a male-dominated industry. In Australia, the average bus or train driver is a mid-fifties male. Transdev has set ambitious targets in the hopes of making the industry more diverse. By 2021, it plans for half of all job offers to go to women and 40 per cent of them to go to those under 35.
As part of its efforts to attract female candidates, Transdev has undertaken a number of initiatives. These include setting up Diversity and Inclusion Councils, introducing flexible work practices, modernising parental leave arrangements, combating gender discrimination and implementing a domestic violence support policy.
The company is “committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and flexible workforce which reflects the community and the customers we serve”. It welcomes applications “from people representing all diversity groups and ages such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTI, people with disabilities, religious beliefs and ethnicity”.
Transdev believes it has a responsibility to “give back to the communities in which we operate”. In 2009 it introduced the ‘Spirit’ payroll-giving scheme. This allows staff to have donations they make to four good causes (cancer research, animal welfare, mental health and sick children) matched by the company.
Transdev seeks to minimise its impact on the environment. It also aspires to maintain good relationships with stakeholders such as governments and local communities.
Transdev expects its staff to demonstrate “dedication, pride and passion” and help facilitate “the camaraderie of our teams on the ground”.
Transdev recruits grads from a range of disciplines. You’ll be particularly well-placed if you have a background in business, commerce, engineering, IT, law, mathematics or science. The company seeks grads who are motivated, keen to develop professionally, interested in sharing their ideas and up for a challenge. You’ll also need excellent people and communication skills.The next stages are psychometric testing, a video interview, then face-to-face interviews. You may also need to do a medical, undertake drug and alcohol testing and undergo a police check. If you clear all those hurdles and your references check out, you’ll receive an offer.
Transdev’s graduate program runs for 18 months The first two months involves a ‘customer experience operational placement’. After that you’ll spend 4 months “learning your role” then a year putting “learning into action”.
As well as on-the-job learning, you’ll be mentored and receive feedback about your performance. You can expect to gain a deep understanding of Transdev’s business operations. You will work on “real projects that impact the way cities live, work and travel”.
Transdev doesn’t publicise its remuneration arrangements and they presumably vary depending on which area of the business you are working in. Reports suggest many employees, especially those eligible for overtime, make good money. It appears white-collar staff also receive the standard corporate perks.
Transdev doesn’t have much to say publicly about the career paths it offers to staff. It does promise “diverse career experiences in an evolving industry that’s moving faster than ever before”. You can presumably expect to advance locally and possibly internationally if you’re a strong performer.
As noted, transportation has long been a blokey industry but Transdev is serious about inclusion. As a result, it’s culture is a lot more female-friendly than many of its competitors. Staff experiences appear to differ depending on role and location. But, as a general rule, Transdev encourages safe, diverse, harmonious workplaces and a high-performance work culture. All employees are expected to “perform their professional responsibilities with entrepreneurial spirit and drive to ensure our services are safe, friendly and reliable”.
Star Rating: 3.9 out of 5
Transdev is at the heart of keeping communities moving. We connect families, friends, and future generations where they live, work and play, and help to move them around daily in ways that reduce the impact on our environment.
Public transport is at the heart of creating sustainable cities and communities. With this in mind, we are seeking to shift the dial and embed our approach to corporate social responsibility into every aspect of our operations and the broader business. Our four pillars of workplace, industry, community, and environment guide us to ensure that we can have the greatest impact possible. We know that the only way to improve from where we are today is to honestly assess our current activities and practices and set a genuine direction for our future. Which is why we need you. A graduate with fresh perspectives and methods to help bring Transdev into the future. This is an opportunity to develop and thrive in a workplace where you will work on exciting projects where you will be accountable.
We have 6000 employees across Australia and New Zealand working across seven businesses.
Transdev Australasia operates a number of modes of transport across seven cities in Australia and New Zealand. We operate the:
In New South Wales, we proudly operate numerous bus routes all over Sydney along with the existing light rail (tram) network. In 2018, we look forward to operating the new light rail network currently under construction that will significantly change the way Sydneysiders use their city. In partnership with BroadSpectrum, we also operate the iconic Harbour City Ferry services.
In Victoria, we operate and maintain 30% of Melbourne’s bus routes including the highly-utilised SmartBus routes. In Queensland, we operate the busy Brisbane ferries as well as numerous commuter and school bus services.
In Western Australia, we have our largest bus operations with more than 1,000 employees who are responsible for the free Perth Cat services as well as local bus routes all over Perth and Freemantle. In the Northern Territory, we have a joint venture business that provides coach services to the resource sector.
In New Zealand, we have proudly operated the Auckland rail service since 2004 and most recently, we were awarded the contract to operate the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Metlink rail service for the next 15 years.
The Transdev Graduate program offers a unique, 18month accelerated career start and development path for recent university graduates. At the start of the program, graduates are paired with a buddy to ensure they quickly settle into Transdev life.
Throughout the first two months, graduates get the opportunity to travel to the head office twice. These two visits allow you to meet the entire cohort of graduates and get fully inducted as a Journey Maker. This induction gives you the opportunity to meet members of the Executive team and really understand how we operate.
Throughout the 18months each graduate will have a tailored learning and development plan to follow. We offer professional development courses in everything from personal branding and presentation 101 to early-stage leadership.
Finally, each graduate enters into the Transdev mentoring program. This program is a great chance to learn from seasoned professionals that have been in your shoes!
Our aim at Transdev is to give you structured course content that will aid your everyday role. We want to ensure that you not only learn in a structured manner but that every graduate gets hands-on projects they can be accountable for!
With a competitive salary, we're looking for motivated individuals ready to take on new challenges, share their ideas and grow within the demanding transport sector. You must be naturally curious and love to collaborate with peers. We work in a fast-paced environment so resilience and tenacity is a must. Overall no matter the graduate we look for great communicators that are eager to learn."
Network Planner at Transdev Australasia
Bachelor of Mathematics (Honours) at University of Newcastle
Mechanical Engineer Graduate at Transdev Australasia
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours) at QUT (Queensland University of Technology)
Engineering Graduate at Transdev Australasia
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical Engineering) at Macquarie University