Grateful and appreciated: Bus Driver Appreciation Day 2026

We asked and you delivered, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie!

We have received many messages of appreciation in the lead up to Bus Driver Appreciation Day on 18 March.  

Sometimes driving a bus can feel like a thankless task which is why days like this make a huge difference to morale.

Today – and every day we celebrate our hard working, dedicated, and friendly drivers.

Next time you’re on board, don’t forget to give them a smile and a thank you.

Have a read of some of the messages below.

“Thank you guys for getting myself and my children where we need to go safely for the last 20 plus years I don’t catch public transport all the time but when I do most drivers are usually polite and friendly so it really saddens me to hear when they are putting up with abuse and violence …… hopefully the general public will do their best to help keep you safe even if that’s just calling police when things escalate now and in the future ……. Great work guys  we appreciate you ” – Kimi Rox via Facebook

“Thanks, I’m so grateful for the hard work and dedication our bus drivers show every day, it’s truly appreciated!” – Maree McCusker via FB

“Would like to say thank you to all bus drivers who take there time to drive us around to places we need to go and having courage to put up with bad behaviours daily. I’m so appreciative of everything you guys do and thank you again for being the bus drivers we need.” – Vanessa via the inbox

“A big thank you to the amazing drivers on the 11 and 47 buses! 🚌👏 You all go above and beyond every day, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I’ve met some incredibly friendly drivers who are always happy to help and greet passengers with a smile. I’m especially grateful for everything you did during COVID you kept showing up and helping people get where they needed to go during such a difficult time. Thank you for your patience, kindness, and dedication. We appreciate you more than you know! 🙏” – Tash via the inbox

“I travel on x4 buses 9 days out of 10, would like to commend all drivers on the work they do most of the time in high pressure situations. Never have any on-time running and most of my journeys entails the dreaded route 14 (Belmont to Customs House am and returning of an afternoon). Have developed quite a good rapport with most of the crew and can’t name them all but a special shout out to at least 3 x drivers:
 – Guy (Green) from Hamilton depot he does my morning trips most am’s as a permanent PT roster, a lovely and very friendly gentleman
 – Tracey from Hamilton depot (sorry all I know  – comes from Fern Bay and changes hair colour a lot!!!) – lovely, lovely person and helped me a lot when I lost both my elderly parents over the past few years
 –  Neil (think he lives south of Swansea and on arvo roster) Belmont depot another pure gentleman and was a shame to lose him off my afternoon trips when the rosters changed 12 or so months back. To all drivers keep up the exceptional work you do and look forward to my daily trips.” – Michael via the inbox

“Driving buses in Newcastle and Lake Mac is a challenging job but the drivers are constantly providing a gold standard service.” – Wedge via FB

“They’re pretty much all amazing from my experience.” – Andrew via FB

“I never seem to see the same driver twice despite taking the same routes at the same time most days, so I’d love to show my appreciation but I don’t know any of them! They’re all fantastic though, and deserve to be celebrated for the essential service they provide to the community!” – Alana via FB