New documentary on female public transport drivers aims to increase their numbers
The number of women driving buses, trolleybuses, and trams in Czechia is rising. According to the Association of Transport Companies, there are now 1,293 women drivers, about 12% of all public transport operators. The organization presented a new part of its campaign in Prague, aiming to challenge stereotypes and attract more women to the field.
The Association of Transport Companies of the Czech Republic presented a document on women employed in transport on Thursday. It features four female transport company employees from across Czechia.
The film was created as a continuation of the "Holky jedou" (Girls on the Move) campaign, which aimed to show the public that it is not only men who work in transport. The film maps the personal and professional lives of the participants and introduces viewers to the work of transport company employees.
Czech Radio reporter Richard Weps, with more details about the film:
“As mentioned, the film follows the stories of four female employees of transport companies from different Czech cities. Among them is Věra Kokošková, the garage manager in Prague’s Vršovice district, who has worked for the transport company for over 30 years. The documentary consists of five short videos. They explore both the personal and professional lives of the participants and introduce viewers to the everyday work of women in transport.”
Apart from Kokošková, the others in the documentary are Katka, a bus dispatcher from the Ústí region, Verča, a trolleybus driver in Brno, and Lucka, who drives a bus in Děčín.
The documentary is also intended for elementary and secondary school students. The authors will provide it to them free of charge as a basis for discussions about career choices or for working with the topic of equal opportunities.
It will also be shown in the Cinema City and Cinestar cinema chains; however, these screenings will be for schools only. The general public will be able to see it later at the One World film festival. The Association of Transport Companies will also publish the individual videos on its social networks.
The number of female drivers is growing, but slowly
In addition to the documentary, the association also presented statistics on women working in transport at the screening. These show that the number of female employees in transport companies is growing, but according to its representatives, not enough. Weps continues on the situation in Prague:
“The Prague transport company has over 11,400 employees, 15% of whom are women. There are about 4,500 vehicle operators, and 340 of them are women.”
On the other hand, figures from across Czechia show that 18% of transport company employees are women, 12% of whom are drivers. According to representatives of the Association of Transport Companies, the numbers are slowly growing. With the "Girls on the Move" campaign, they want to ensure that they continue to grow.
According to its director, Ladislav Urbánek, the Prague Public Transport Company contributes, for example, by organizing open days at depots and garages.
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