Women make up just 15 percent of the transit workforce overall, and even with intentional efforts to hire more women (in leadership and as frontline staff in particular), many agencies still fall short. In addition to often being one of few or the only females in the depot, women operators must navigate the challenges of a system that is most often white-male led. At the MBTA just 30 percent of operators are women, at VTA just 16 percent of operators are women, at TTC also 16 percent, and at SEPTA in 2020 women account for just about 20 percent of the positions in management. There is, of course, the fact that women already comprise such a small percentage of the frontline workforce: In 2018, only 20 percent of operators at SFMTA were women, at the time short of the national average of 37 percent. Many of the challenges of being a frontline operator seem to become more acute for women. Drivers, many of whom are ill equipped to face these challenges on their own, can find themselves in challenging, uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe situations. In New York City, bus driver harassment accounts for nearly 75 percent of all transit worker attacks.Īs cities continue to deal with economic and health crises, transit often becomes a go-to transitional space for those facing houselesness, or experiencing mental health episodes. A recent piece in the Washington Post chronicles the harrowing experiences of one woman bus driver in Denver. And there is the stress of day to day interactions with riders, sometimes involving altercations between passengers, or disagreements over fare payment. There are long routes, sometimes without well scheduled breaks or access to restrooms. There are long hours, and often for more junior employees, irregular shifts, and shifts at very early hours. These operators - frontline workers that keep buses and trains running are essential to a functioning transit network that actually gets riders where they need to go.īut being an operator is no simple feat. Editor's note: A version of this article appeared as part of the Subtext Zine from Transit Center and is republished with permission.Īcross the U.S., transit agencies are grappling with a shortfall of operators.
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