Metro Tasmania has confirmed that Katie Cooper will be stepping down from her role as CEO later this year.
Cooper, who has led Metro Tasmania since October 2020, will not renew her contract when it expires on October 11, 2025.
At this time, no successor has been announced.
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Metro Tasmania board chair Tony Braxton-Smith told Pulse Tasmania that the company acknowledges Cooper’s “commitment and dedication over the past five years” and her “capable navigation of the organisation through the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
“On behalf of the Board, we thank Katie for her efforts and wish her well in her future endeavours.”
Metro has been forced to cut bus services over the past 12 months due to a nationwide shortage of drivers, launching an aggressive recruitment campaign to entice more drivers to jump onboard.
Last month, members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and opposition MPs gathered outside Metro Tasmania headquarters to protest the state government’s refusal to rule out privatising the operator.
The protest comes amid ongoing concerns about driver shortages, unreliable services and a failure to deliver promised safety improvements.
Fears of fare increases, service cuts and deteriorating working conditions for drivers were top of mind, with Labor’s shadow transport minister Meg Brown condemning the privatisation agenda.
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