From catching the bus to keeping 550 buses on the road

Stories from the people who keep us moving: Mandeep Singh on swapping hotel kitchens for bus depots, and the moments that make it all worthwhile.

When Mandeep Singh first arrived in Australia, he was a bus passenger like everyone else. Today, as Acting Service Delivery Manager for Melbourne, he helps keep 1,200 drivers and 550 buses moving across the city every single day.

"When I moved to Australia, I was catching the buses, and I thought, maybe one day I'm going to be driving these buses," he says.

"But I never knew that one day I'm going to end up in this role."

A change of course

Mandeep's working life didn't start in transport. He studied hospitality management and spent nearly eight years in that industry, including three years working in hotels and as a chef.

"It was one of my steps, moving into a different industry to see what it looks like," he says.

"With transportation, I feel like you stay connected with the people we're moving every single day. That's what brought me to the bus industry."

Starting in the driver’s seat

Mandeep joined the industry in 2014 as a bus driver, and his career has been climbing ever since.

"I did the driving for almost eight years, and I spent four years with the dispatch team and in the supervisor role," he says.

"Then in 2022, I stepped into the Depot Manager role, looking after the Sunshine West and Thomastown depots. And now I'm acting in the Service Delivery Manager role, looking after all the depots."

As Depot Manager, Mandeep was responsible for more than 350 drivers, a dozen operations staff, up to 30 people in the workshop and a fleet of 85 buses."

Now his remit covers the whole Melbourne network.

"My job is to look after the day-to-day operations across all the depots. Our 1,200 drivers, and 550 buses on the road every single day," he says.

"Making sure they depart from the depot safely, moving people from one destination to another throughout the day, and then, once they come back to the depot, that our drivers go safely to their homes.

"Basically, every single thing involving the depot, related to the drivers or the fleet, we are the ones involved."

The proud moments

Ask Mandeep about the most rewarding part of the job, and he doesn't talk about titles, or even his career progression to date. He talks about his daughters.

"I have two daughters. Whenever I go to catch public transport, they say, 'This is Papa, you're working in this industry. This is a Kinetic bus,'" he laughs.

"It makes me proud to be in this industry."

Then there are the moments out and about across Melbourne.

"When we go to the beach and we see our buses, the drivers are waving to you, and they know you, and you're waving back," he says.

"Those are the minor things, but they're really big for me. They make me proud.

"Wherever I go, when I see the fleet moving people, I feel so proud of myself, working at Kinetic."

And when the network he helps run earns praise from the public, Mandeep is quick to hand the credit to his drivers.

"When we get a compliment, it's on the drivers, what they're doing on the road. They are representing us, with safety, manners and excellent customer service," he says.

"Those are the proud moments for us."