Josh Temple is following in a proud family tradition after being appointed First Cymru’s new Network Planner.
Josh, aged 27, is the third generation of his Swansea-based family to work at the local bus company.
His grandfather Stephen served 40 years as a driver before retiring in 2012 while father Robert has been a driver with the business since the 1970s. Older brother Daniel is also a driver, having joined straight from school in 2006.
Josh has taken up his new role – which involves co-ordinating bus services across First Cymru’s network in south west Wales – in succession to Paul Taylor, who also had an impressive long service record with the company. Paul retired from his role at the company’s Penlan headquarters on Christmas Eve, after 34 years.
“I’ve always had an interest in the industry and it’s fantastic to carry on the family tradition,” says Josh.
“After university I joined the company in 2016 as a service monitor, riding the buses to check on time performance and passenger numbers. After that I was a customer host on the university service, which was a bit like being a conductor, issuing tickets and providing information to passengers.”
After spells on the bus information desk and depot assistant at head office, Josh is now responsible for the day-to-day running of all First Cymru’s routes and services.
And following in the family tradition, he has also passed his driver’s test and gets behind the wheel when the situation demands.
“Being Network Planner means being involved from the conception of a route through to building up a timetable and planning how many drivers are needed, which has obviously been a real challenge during Covid-19.
“It was a natural progression really as I know all the Swansea routes already and had built up knowledge of the other depots from my previous roles. I’ve also completed some driver shifts, which I really enjoy, and my depot assistant, Lauren Davies, is also a driver. It’s nice to get out and about now and then.”
Jane Reakes-Davies, Managing Director of First Cymru, said: “Josh is a credit to the business and the fact that he is following in the family tradition serves to illustrate the high degree of staff loyalty and longevity we enjoy in the business.”
