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“Only about two to three per cent of the Irish population lives in County Mayo, the county is the third-largest in Ireland, its physical size and features give rise to transport and access difficulties. TFI Local Link Mayo connects these rural households to the nearby towns and villages.
Our drivers represent diverse backgrounds, they are not just regular bus drivers; they know most of their passengers by name. They are incredibly helpful and caring people who are willing to go the extra mile, literally! You would often spot one of our drivers walking with someone’s handbag swinging on one arm and bags of shopping in the other. I think TFI Local Link is very unique in that way. When the pandemic hit, we developed a system that ended up picking up and dropping off over 35,000 deliveries. Our drivers began to collect and deliver medical supplies, prescriptions, shopping and whatever their passengers needed to be brought to them. They would also check on people living alone and look out for their mental health and offer services if needed. During the lockdowns, we heard stories that a household would ask our drivers to drop off freshly made cakes, soda bread or a dozen of duck eggs on their route to their neighbours down the road. They would sometimes come back with a knitted hat on their head or other small presents from grateful passengers.
Over the last few years, we have been working to provide assistance to people from migrant backgrounds. We have worked with the Mayo Migrant Integration Forum which helps agencies share information and best practices to make the best use of government funding. At the moment we are developing a 5-year strategy for Mayo and TFI Local Link Mayo has signed up to be part of a number of actions such as providing cultural awareness for our staff and drivers we participate in the Mayo says no to racism campaign. At Local Link we are committed to our passengers; we want to ensure that people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs are treated with the respect they deserve.”
This post was highlighted by the National Transport Authority, TFI – Transport for Ireland to promote the discussion about diversity and inclusivity in Ireland and to bring awareness to their opposition to racism and discrimination of any kind on public transport. #UnitedAgainstRacism