A senior Brisbane transport executive will soon take the wheel at Metro Tasmania as the state-owned bus operator works to get services back on track after long-running route suspensions and driver shortages.
Jessica Paton will step in as chief executive on January 19, bringing nearly two decades of experience in public transport reform.
Paton currently runs strategy and network services at Brisbane City Council, where she manages more than 200 staff and contractors.
She led the overhaul of Brisbane’s bus network and steered the rollout of the Brisbane Metro, including Queensland’s first zero-emission electric bus fleet.
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kerry Vincent said Paton’s appointment came at an important time for the operator.
“We are at an exciting time in Metro’s history with a number of key projects and I welcome Ms Paton to the role,” he said.
Her appointment follows the departure of former CEO Katie Cooper, who left in August to become chief executive of Launceston Airport.
Paton began her career at Queensland Rail, taking on senior roles in operational readiness, training and workforce development.
At Brisbane City Council, she has been responsible for strategic network planning, safety and risk management and workforce training.
Metro Tasmania has grappled with significant challenges in recent years, particularly a shortage of drivers that forced widespread service reductions across Hobart.
The operator cut more than 180 daily services in August 2023 to reduce unplanned cancellations and by August this year around 130 services were still being dropped each day.
The state government later abandoned plans to explore privatising Metro in June, following a no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
Concerns about selling public assets, including the state’s primary bus operator, were central to the political stoush.
