Staff case studies

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Susan Jackman, Group Station manager

Susan is responsible for the day-to-day running of seven Tube stations. 'The best bit about the job is the variety. No two days are the same,' she says. 'If you say, I'm going to do this today' you can guarantee something will happen. You have to be very flexible.

'You have to explain to the public why the station is shut and give them alternative routes to travel but you also have to deal with the incident at the same time. One of my handiest tools is to treat everybody the same. I am always calm. I think being a woman and a mother gives you a better understanding sometimes - you do have to go into mother mode.

'What I like to do is to lead staff to finding their own solutions rather than fixing everything for them.'TfL has changed the structure: it's a flatter organisation now. I believe change is a challenge. 'No, you can't achieve it,' is not in my vocabulary. Some people might say I'm obstinate or stubborn but that's just me.'

Jonathan Bart works at the London Traffic Control Centre

Jonathan monitors CCTV and IT systems showing how traffic is moving London-wide. Using IT systems he passes up-to-the-minute details to TV and radio stations. 'Presenters come straight to us for all the right information. I think it's an invaluable service we provide to all London's commuters, tourists and anyone who visits the capital.'

All the training and experience of his past two years with TfL came into play on 7/7. 'Being part of the effort to help get London back to normal was amazing. Everyone knew what to do. We all worked so well as a team and in a matter of hours we had London's streets moving again. There also was a strong sense of everyone looking out for each other, making sure everyone had a decent break and could get home okay.'

He sometimes wonders if TfL is fully recognised for what it does. 'Maybe not,' he says, 'but what matters most is that public transport passengers and all other road users get to where they are going.'

Pauline Forbes is a Licensing Officer with the Public Carriage Office

Pauline inspects would-be and existing private-hire operators to make sure they, their drivers and vehicles comply with the law. 'It's all about ensuring passengers can travel safely by booking through reliable, licensed operators,' she says. 'We're taking the touts, the illegal drivers and their vehicles off the road.

'This year I set a precedent and successfully prosecuted a controller - the person who takes the bookings and allocates jobs to drivers. I'd warned her she was breaking the law by taking bookings for an unlicensed operator but she carried on and ended up in court with a heavy fine. I want to make life harder for illegal operators by putting people off working for them.

'There have been instances of illegal vehicles stopping outside legitimate operators' premises and conning waiting customers that it's their car. I advise operators to have a waiting room inside to keep customers safe until their licensed vehicle arrives.

'I'd love to kill off the illegal private hire trade altogether. I don't know if that's possible but we're going a long way towards it.'

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Sarah Kerby-Eaton is a site engineer on the East London Line project

Sarah ensures contractors deliver their work on time and to TfL standards. 'When you learn engineering,' she says, 'all of a sudden the world just opens up for you and you understand what's beneath the pavements, where things go and how they fit together. To be an engineer in a city like London means all of that is multiplied a thousand times.

'Because this is a public organisation, I am personally more interested in the outcome. I want to see it happen more effectively and efficiently, making sure the public get value for money with minimum inconvenience.

'Working on railways appeals to me because it is so multi-disciplinary. You come into contact with so many different people to sort out complex issues. We're a great team and we're all from different backgrounds.

'Since TfL took over the project it has moved at great pace. It's particularly exciting because we will be a catalyst for significant regeneration and will support the Olympics in 2012.'

Chris Nix is TfL Education Liaison Manager

Chris runs TfL's Safety and Citizenship initiative for children and young people. 'Plenty of organisations try to engage with schools but TfL does more than send out packs to teachers. We get uniformed staff out to schools. We get children comfortable talking to them so they understand that this is someone who will help them and who deserves their respect. We've even got a mock-up of part of a station on the back of a van.

'Last year we met over 50,000 children. This year it will be 100,000. We talk with children about responsible use of public transport. We show them how to plan their journeys and access tickets or passes. Above all, we show them how to be safe. But we also say: 'You must appreciate everyone else has the right to feel safe and untroubled too.

'This goes way beyond showing them how to use buses and Tubes. It's about forming the citizens of the future. That's a huge responsibility and a major undertaking. One TfL can be proud it takes on.'

Colin Mann is Property Services Manager, Docklands Light Railway

With his team, Colin negotiates with landowners and occupiers affected by construction of new extensions and other works on the railway. He acquires land through statutory powers or through agreement and negotiates compensation where applicable.

'By the nature of what the property team does - imposing ourselves on occupiers through statutory acquisition powers - we must deal with initial ill-feeling and resistance from those directly affected.

'With each owner or occupier, it's a matter of exploring what needs to be done, what the likely impacts are, and then how we can reduce these by working with them. DLR has a reputation for dealing with people well and that credibility and track record is extremely important to us. I don't think there is anybody out there who feels we have misled them.

'I am very proud of DLR's record. We have an ethos to tell it like it is. This is vitally important because if you don't, it will come back to haunt you.'

Joyce Mamode is Passenger Liaison and Marketing Manager for Dial-a-Ride

Without Joyce and Dial-a-Ride - TfL's door-to-door service - many Londoners who cannot use mainstream public transport because of a disability might be confined to their homes, unable to go out shopping or meet friends.

'I started work at Dial-a-Ride when TfL took the scheme over from several separate charities,' she says. 'A major part of my job is ensuring that disabled Londoners' views on how they want the service improved are being heard, even though everything is now organised centrally.

'This year, Dial-a-Ride customers and potential customers have begun to see their wishes become reality. A new fleet of vehicles custom-built to passengers' requirements - more comfortable and easier to use - has been delivered.'

Joyce is very proud of her part in the new vehicle project. 'It's symbolic of changes at Dial-a-Ride. The new fleet is starting to change the image of the whole service.'