Number of women bus drivers increases in southern Turkish city

Making inroads into what has traditionally been seen as a male occupation, increasing numbers of women are becoming public bus drivers in the southern province of Adana, Anatolia news agency reported Sunday.

“When I use to see women drivers in city traffic, I looked at them with admiration. I decided to apply, yet my husband objected. Despite that, I secretly switched my license from B type to E type. Once I passed the exams, I started my job, at which I am very happy,” said 33-year-old Sadegül Yalnıç, who has been driving bus in the area for four years.

The municipality first took on two female drivers in 1998; now, 127 women are driving for the city, operating the most difficult buses that even some male drivers cannot deal with.

“In the places where women are, there is no rudeness or indecency as Turkish men respect women. Therefore, in the buses conducted by female drivers, there are hardly any conflicts. Men are gentler,” said Şevki Özveren, the manager of the Adana Metropolitan Municipality Bus Administration.

Noting that female bus drivers have better communications skills compared to their male counterparts, Özveren said the former never have qualms about plying even the municipality’s far-flung routes.

Nevertheless, some female drivers still come across surprised passengers, who say “A female is driving, get out of the way,” said 39-year-old Eda İncekaş who took over her father’s occupation as a driver.

“Once an elderly man got into the bus and saw me in the driver’s seat and screamed, ‘A woman is driving, let’s get off.’ Everybody started to laugh. But after he watched me driving for awhile, he congratulated me,” said İncekaş.


/Hurriyet Daily News/