Veteran Transdev Doncaster bus driver Gaetan D’Avoine celebrates 50 years in the industry

If you’ve taken a bus around Melbourne in the past 50 years, you may be familiar with this face. Mernda bus driver Gaetan D’Avoine looks back on his five decades behind the wheel, and why he finds the job “a lot more relaxing” than it used to be.

Gaetan D’Avoine, 73, has notched up 50 years in the transport industry, including over four decades as a bus driver based in Doncaster. Picture: Wayne Taylor.

Australia has well and truly proven to be a land of opportunity for bus driver Gaetan D’Avoine.

Mr D’Avoine, 73, moved from Mauritius in his 20s looking for a new life, uninspired by his previous jobs as a pharmacist and store merchant.

“I had to take a bus to go to work, and I thought, I would like to be a bus driver one day,” he said.

Gaetan D’Avoine gets a guard of honour from drivers at the Doncaster Transdev bus depot for his 50-year milestone. Picture: Wayne Taylor

After he landed a job with the Met in 1970 as a conductor, Mr D’Avoine settled into the driver’s seat a couple of years later. And he’s been there ever since.

This year the Mernda man celebrates 50 years in the industry, with his workmates at Doncaster’s Transdev bus depot honouring him in style on Friday.

Gaetan D’Avoine’s workmates help him celebrate his 50-year milestone. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Mr D’Avione, who has been based at the depot since 1979, said he’d seen many changes in buses during his career.

“When I started to drive, I needed to put it into gear first then use the clutch, and I had a conductor at the back and I sat in a small cabin on top of the engine,” he said.

Gaetan D’Avoine, 73, rolls up to work to celebrate his milestone. Picture: Wayne Taylor.

“Now all buses are fully automatic, and it’s a lot better and a lot more relaxing.”

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Mr D’Avione said he enjoyed working with people from many different nationalities at the depot, and received great joy out of meeting different personalities and driving his regular customers around Melbourne.

He said he planned to continue driving buses for as long as he could.

“I look after myself and I have to take a test every year, and if I pass the test, I keep on going,” he said.