The Metropolitan Municipality, which added 49 new buses to its fleet, started to employ 12 female drivers in public transportation in order to increase the visibility of women in public areas. The drivers, who said, “We will break the taboos,” stated that women sitting in the seat will change many things in the field of transportation.
Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality continues to take steps to strengthen women’s employment rights by adopting gender equality as a fundamental principle in all service areas. Adding 49 new buses to its fleet in order to increase comfort in transportation and facilitate urban access, the Metropolitan Municipality has also implemented an important application that will increase women’s visibility in public spaces.
12 female drivers
With the new vehicles, 40 female drivers who received 12 days of training will now be working in urban public transportation. The inclusion of women in the transportation sector, where they have been discriminated against for years and seen as a “men’s job,” will bring about both employment rights, strengthening of social equality, and a new era in the field of transportation.
'We want to be an example for those who want to do this job'
Şenay Kürekçi, one of the female drivers, drew attention to the fact that the saying “Everywhere a woman touches becomes beautiful” will be reflected in the field of transportation and said, “I think the traffic problem in our city and the way people approach each other will become more polite because women are behind the wheel. Driving a 12-meter bus is difficult, we want to show everyone that we have achieved that difficulty, and we want to be an example to everyone who wants to do this job.”
'It makes us happy to see women in every area where they can be seen'
Emphasizing that it is very important for the municipality to implement such a project, Bahar Aydın said, “It is very valuable for us to make women visible in this area. I applied for the project, we received a 40-day training, this was very valuable for us. Our trainers showed us the necessary care. It makes us happy to see women in every area where they can be seen. We think that we will be an example for other women.”
'We are people who achieve the difficult'
Menekşe Şen, who stated that she came across the ad on social media, said that she was both shocked and happy when she got a response. Şen, who stated that she experienced both excitement and surprise, said, “I used to work in the accounting department in the private sector. Now I have switched to my father’s profession.” Şen, who emphasized that with women taking part in the transportation sector, the feeling of empathy will be the most experienced, said, “Women have a higher ability to empathize. They have the capacity to approach all ages and all segments with more understanding. We are people who can do the difficult, I think our numbers will increase.”
'I think I can do it in the best way possible'
Azize Tekin said that she saw the project when she was a preschool teacher and thought it was for her. “I thought I would support women in every field and provide them with self-confidence,” said Tekin, adding that women can now work freely in every field and not bow to male dominance. Tekin said, “It is a great pleasure for us to have women in every field. I support this project and I think I can do it in the best way possible.”
'We are here to break taboos'
Gülten Sulucan, who stated that her real profession is teaching, stated that she saw the project on social media like other women. “I am the eldest of 8 siblings, we have always faced difficulties until today. In addition to the difficulties of being a woman, the difficulties of life in the village are different,” said Sulucan, continuing her words as follows: “We are here to break all taboos. We women want to exist in every field, we have to resist in these fields.”
'Our training process went very well'
Rojdan Sarı, who said that she passes by the municipality every day and sees the project on the billboards in front of the municipality, said that she applied for the project saying, "I can do this job." Sarı stated, "It turned out very well, our training processes went very well."
