Ten minutes with Lorraine Gibney, Go-Ahead Ireland

What is your current role at Go-Ahead Ireland?

Hi, my name is Lorraine, and I am a professional bus driver at Go-Ahead Ireland, working out of their Ballymount depot in Dublin.

How long have you worked at Go-Ahead Ireland?

I have been working with Go-Ahead Ireland for just under five years, since joining the company in June of 2019.

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How did you find out about the company?

I found out about Go-Ahead Ireland through a friend, I applied online, and the process was fairly easy. I started working with them just two weeks after my application was sent through. I was in the classroom, and three weeks after I was in the classroom I passed my test, with zero faults.

What made you want to work for Go-Ahead Ireland in the first place?

I worked in the transport industry previously, with about 7 years of experience, mostly driving smaller vehicles like minibuses. I then joined a cash handling business, but when Go-Ahead Ireland came around, I liked the idea of getting back into public transport, so I applied.

Briefly describe what your average workday looks like.

I work a Monday to Friday split shift, I enjoy working on this roster, it really suits my work life balance, with no late finishes or weekend work.

I come in to work in the morning and sign on with the Supervisors, who allocate out the bus I am going to be using. After being allocated my bus, I have time to do my First Use Checks, after that I follow my duty card for the duration of my shift.

Throughout that day, you have all sorts of different interactions with people, and like most jobs there are good and bad moments, but they are definitely mostly good.

What is the most rewarding, or stand out moment, about your time working with Go-Ahead Ireland?

I suppose when I think of it, there are a lot of rewarding things, I know that the whole overall point is to get people from A to B safely as that’s what Its all about. For me mostly I love getting time with my colleagues and having the crack – that’s just what I like as a People person.

A standout moment for me is when I had my first and only issue when out in the bus. A passenger approached me when I was in the cab, and he was telling me that there was a passenger giving a woman a bit of a hard time. Initially I couldn’t see or hear anything, but as it escalated, I could then see what was going on. I called our Control Team, who contacted the Gardaí. The man then got off the bus and was met by the Gardaí. I closed the doors and drove away. A few stops later, the woman who was involved got off, and she was thankful.

I met that woman later, and she couldn’t have thanked me enough for helping her through it and keeping her reassured that everything would be okay. She never forgot me, and I never forgot her, and we would always stop to say hello whenever we bump into each other.

Now that I think of, my proudest working for Go-Ahead Ireland was taking part in the Dublin Pride Parade last year, in 2023. We had two buses taking part, and I was driving the “quiet bus”, which allowed for people to take part in the parade in a controlled environment. I really liked that day, there was a great buzz.

Have you been able to get on-the-job training?

I have always been provided with CPC training, so that they are always up to date, route training – so that I can do any new routes that might come up, which is important when the likes of BusConnects come around. I have also availed of refresher training, it’s no problem for me to come in on a Saturday if I like and refresh myself on routes that I have not done in a while. It’s simple enough to get these opportunities, it’s just a conversation between myself and the Operations Team who then look after the arrangements.

How do you see your future at Go-Ahead Ireland?

In the long run, I would like to see the introduction of part time work. But that is not something I have to worry about right now or for years to come. Between now and then, I would be interested in progressing my career at Go-Ahead Ireland.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of applying for a job with Go-Ahead Ireland?

If you like driving and consider yourself a people person, do it. I think people who struggle to wait in traffic would struggle with the job.

BONUS - If you won the lotto, what would you do?

I would probably set up a mini-bus company to tell you the truth, and I would aim to run school contracts. If you can manage a few buses, there is really good benefits to it. My husband worked in transport, maybe he could be my first employee!