Unusual jobs: From bus driver to team trouble shooter

Mary-Ann Pange. Photo / Steven McNicholl

If you have ever complained about the inconvenience caused by your bus being late, then spare a thought for Mary-Ann Pange.

She's the one who deals with the drivers who might be to blame and calls you back on their behalf to apologise.

From bus drivers struggling with personal problems to irate people who call up and yell at her down the phone, the 36-year-old handles it all.

"I let them just go off at me. I just let them scream because it makes them feel better," she says.

"Nine times out of 10 they're really happy that you called them back with feedback ... Sometimes I really have to hold my tongue."

Based at Wiri, Ms Pange is a duty supervisor for Waka Pacific, the South Auckland branch of NZ Bus.

She has responsibility for 45 bus drivers and is one of 24 people who oversee on-the-road staff around the Auckland region, with counterparts in the northern region, Southwest Auckland and Auckland central.

Ms Pange has been in the job for 10 years after working as a bus driver - a job she loved - for two years.

"I enjoy driving and I love meeting people. I am a people's person. The first six months that I was in the job, I think I got seven commendations ... [I had] one accident, which was probably the second year I was in the job, so I've done all right.

"You kind of see it from a different perspective. Customers are so quick to complain but it's very rare that they'll call in and make a commendation about a driver. You only see it from your perspective when you're a p***ed-off customer and the bus didn't show up or the driver was grumpy."

Ms Pange has also tutored drivers and now, focused on the administration side of operations, she ensures they are doing their job properly.

She keeps watch over the GPS system, which shows where all the buses are - down to the street and suburb and stop.

It's the system you see when you're waiting for a bus and a screen tells you how many minutes you need to wait until your bus arrives.

Been at a stop and had time counting down, only to find the bus is erased right when it should arrive?

That's because the driver has forgotten to push the "start trip" button - something Ms Pange aims to avoid, although she adds it can also be caused by a glitch in the system.

The most common complaints from the public are about buses being late and drivers being grumpy.

"It can be very, very hard. The job can be stressful at times but you just carry on," she says.

"For most of the complaints, I get on the phone because I find that if you speak to them you resolve it a lot quicker, whereas if you send them an email, they just get more p***ed off."

But she says the biggest challenge is gaining the respect of the drivers.

She has to ask them to reshuffle days off if someone calls in sick when their shift is meant to start at 4.30am.

Her warm personality and patience - and the fact she's got to know the drivers over a decade - helps to win them over.

"It works both ways. I always say that you've got to treat others the way that you want to be treated. Without them [the drivers], we wouldn't be able to run our trips."