The Unsung Heroes of Victoria's Public Transport: Travellers Aid Celebrates 110 Years

A little-known service that has been helping Victorians and visitors navigate the state's public transport system for over 110 years is celebrating a major milestone. Travellers Aid, a vital cog in Victoria's public transport system, assists more than 110,000 people a year, with a focus on helping those with mobility challenges.

A history of adaptation

When it began in 1916, Travellers Aid was all about providing safe passage for women and children during a time when many husbands had left to serve in World War I. The service has adapted over the years to cater to society's changing needs.

"All the men went off to fight the war, and the women were starting to come into the big cities of Australia and do the work that the men traditionally would have done," CEO Elias Lebbos says.

"That happened all over the world, but it was happening here as well."

Volunteers began meeting weary travellers arriving by boat at Melbourne's Station Pier, or by train at major city stations. Travellers Aid also helped to find suitable accommodation for women and children arriving in the city, along with job opportunities.

Expanding services

Throughout the years, the organisation has also helped greet and accommodate a post-World War II wave of migrants, young Asian students arriving as part of the Colombo Plan in the 1950s, and anxious train passengers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

More recently, when a Telstra outage shut down the V/Line network in early July, Travellers Aid assisted passengers by providing information, helping them to reach replacement coaches, or contact family members.

A growing impact

As it celebrates its 110th birthday, Mr Lebbos says Travellers Aid is by no means a small operation. Its 100 or so staff members and about 150 devoted volunteers assisted tens of thousands of people last financial year alone, with the free service funded by a broad range of government grants, corporate partnerships, commercial revenue, and public donations.

Travellers Aid buggies often take the underground route at Southern Cross Station. There are also wheelchair assistance, personal care, a travel companion service, and plenty of answers to questions involving directions and timetables.

Personal stories

Close friends Bev Keane from Warrnambool and Wendy Poulter from Ardeer in Melbourne's west are regulars at the service's Southern Cross site.

"I've got a disability breathing and can't really walk much. They come and get me [from the platform]," 83-year-old Ms Keane says.

"Bev's been staying with me back in Melbourne. I sit here and wait for her to be chauffeured in the 'limousine'," jokes Ms Poulter, who is 79 and has low vision.

Ms Keane has a different nickname for Travellers Aid's popular buggy. "I call it the billycart," she quips.

The pair used to work together and have been as close as sisters for about 35 years. Having access to help at the station makes them feel secure in their V/Line travels to visit one another.

"I don't think I'd be confident to go without this," Ms Poulter says.

Helping patients during stressful periods

At the slick new Parkville station, staff clock up thousands of steps a day providing physical and emotional support for patients and visitors heading to nearby hospitals. Site supervisor Joel Ubias says his team has helped close to 3,400 people at Parkville since last December, when a two-year pilot program got underway.

He and his staff often proactively approach people who look like they may need a hand.

"Some people are surprised and they really appreciate the way we ask," he says.

Train travellers might be going through anything from chemotherapy to a knee replacement, or be expectant mums nearing their due date. Others will have just received bad news about a loved one or their own medical condition.

Surrey Hills resident Seng Tan has used Travellers Aid multiple times to get from Parkville station to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

The 72-year-old says cancer treatment has weakened his spine.

"I'm on painkillers, but the painkiller doesn't stop the pain," he says.

Rather than struggle through the long walk to the centre using his walking frame, Travellers Aid spirits Mr Tan there and back in a wheelchair.

"Since I started using them, I can't stop using them," he says.

A legacy of service

Karen Lovell is Traveller's Aid's longest-serving staff member. Her mum Maureen had been working at the organisation's cafe in 1990 when she asked if the then-22-year-old would like cover for another staff member for a few weeks.

"I said, 'Yeah, I'll come and fill in', and I've been here ever since," she smiles.

The cafe near the Bourke Street Mall was a meeting point for country people visiting friends and served up staples like sandwiches and apple slices, along with countless pots of tea.

While the cafe has since closed, Ms Lovell — now the site supervisor at Southern Cross — says that ethos of helping people has remained at the heart of the growing organisation.

She often assists people who are stranded, including those fleeing domestic violence or others who have been rushed to hospital from country areas.

"They've had to go to the hospital for an emergency, and they leave their wallet behind," Ms Lovell says.

Operations manager Maria Groner says Travellers Aid has helped a huge variety of people, including a single mother of three who had moved to Australia and couldn't afford public transport fares for her children to get to school.

There's also the occasional prisoner who has been released with no wallet and no way to pay for public transport.