Cairo introduces first female bus driver
Nisaa FM: - The sight of a niqab-clad woman driving a full-size bus in Cairo’s congested streets during rush hour has left commuters and pedestrians open-mouthed. Egypt’s first female bus driver, Om Abdalla, is unfazed by the stares of curious onlookers. “People stare anyway, no matter what you are wearing or what you do. Some are nosy by nature, others are simply curious. I just take it in stride,” she says.
The 42-year-old widow and mother of five said she never intended to become a bus driver.
“It happened because I was desperate for a job and they were recruiting,” she says. “They” are the private English Mass Transit Company that hired her a little over a month ago. The company recently introduced a female-only bus service to protect women from sexual harassment, a rampant problem in Cairo.
“With no education or skills, my chances of finding a decent job were slim. A neighbor told me about the job ad for bus drivers. The ad stated that the company would train potential candidates before hiring them and that prior bus driving experience was not required,” Om Abdalla says.
It took her a little over a month to learn how to drive a bus, though she had never sat behind the wheel of a car or any other vehicle before. “The commercial license gave me a new lease on life, as it meant that I could finally earn a livelihood and keep my children in school,” she tells.
Many female passengers using the service praise the bus company’s decision to hire a female bus driver as a sign of “keeping up with the times.” “A woman driver is as good as any male driver. I feel safer and more comfortable on the women’s bus as I no longer have to worry about harassers groping me and pretending they had touched me by accident,” says 43-year-old Karima Mohamed, who has been using the service daily to commute to work.
Cairo – most dangerous city for women
An October 2017 poll named the city “the most dangerous” for women of 19 megacities surveyed. According to UN Women, 99.3% of Egyptian women have faced some form of sexual harassment on the street, with 81% of the harassment occurring while the women were using public transportation. An anti-sexual harassment law was adopted in 2014, but has done little to deter harassers, although it has encouraged more women to come forward and report harassment.
“Women feel unsafe on buses, especially during rush hour. That is why we hired Om Abdalla for our new women-only bus service,” says Omar Sayed, the deputy director of the company that runs the bus service. “We’ve also hired a female conductor so that the service would have an all-female staff,” he adds.
While the female-only bus service is a novelty in Cairo, the city has since 2015 had women-only subway cars. Female commuters using the Cairo Metro have the choice to share cars with men or travel in ones reserved exclusively for them.
Cairo’s new bus service has generated heated debate in both the mainstream media and on social media networks. The controversy goes beyond segregation, as critics also question whether a niqab-wearing bus driver with little driving experience poses safety risks on the road.
However, many express their admiration for Om Abdalla, commending her for her bravery. And Om Abdalla is grateful for the opportunity she has been given by her new employers. “There is a large support network for me from the other drivers. The best place for me to learn is right here, on the job.”
Source: www.al-monitor.com