31 October 2021
From today, bus customers in the Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore can expect a renewed focus on customer service, when Keolis Downer Northern Beaches (KDNB) will commence as the new operator.
Customer Service Officers will be roaming the network equipped with smartphones to better assist travelling customers and will be key to managing disruptions in the newly created Operations Control Centre at the Brookvale depot.
Keolis Downer CEO, David Franks, said the company’s ethos of Think Like a Passenger will begin to permeate through genuine and valuable customer interactions.
“We are very proud to be the new face of public transport on the Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore.”
“We are committed to delivering customer focused services that are efficient and reliable to attract more people onto the network.
“Over the last four years we had the opportunity to get to know the local community with the successful operation of Keoride On Demand transport and we are thrilled this service is a permanent and integral part of the bus network.”
Over the last five months, Keolis Downer has worked closely with the outgoing operator, to transition nearly 900 qualified staff to continue to deliver 24,000 services each week to the community of the Northern Beaches and Lower North Shore.
KDNB Managing Director, Mark Dunlop said “we are delighted so many STA employees have decided to join us. Their knowledge of the network and their professionalism will ensure we continue to deliver a high quality of service.”
It will be business as usual with no planned changes to the bus network. KDNB will be focused on customer satisfaction, performance, reliability, and the introduction of over 100 electric buses in the coming years.
With over 400 vehicles in the fleet, Keolis Downer Northern Beaches is ready to service the 1.2 million+ passenger trips each year on the local bus network.
About Keolis Downer
Keolis Downer is a leading multimodal operator and integrator of public transport in Australia. With nearly 5,000 employees and a presence in five states, Keolis Downer enables 250 million passenger journeys per year. We operate and maintain the largest tram network in the world in Melbourne (Yarra Trams), the light rail network on the Gold Coast (G:link), the Adelaide Metro train services, and more than 1,000 buses in NSW, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
Established in 2009, Keolis Downer is a joint venture between Keolis, a leading public transport operator established in 16 countries, and Downer, the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand.
ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Melanie Carson – Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Manager
+61 404 099 576 / melanie.carson@keolisdowner.com.au