De Lille’s MyCiTi women visit
CAPE Town mayor Patricia de Lille visited female MyCiTi employees, including bus drivers and mechanics yesterday.
The visit forms part of Transport Month, as an empowerment campaign aimed at celebrating women who are excelling in so-called “male-dominated” industries.
“I visited the Toll-gate Depot in Woodstock where I met female MyCiTi bus drivers, mechanics, regulators and despatches.”
“The success of the MyCiTi service over the years is a result of the dedication of these women and their colleagues, who ensure that thousands of commuters have safe and reliable journeys on our roads on a daily basis,” said De Lille
MyCiTi has 52 female bus drivers working on its routes across Cape Town, 12 female dispatch operators at its depots and two female technicians.
One of the regulators, Amanda Mtshixa joined the transport industry via a learnership, and previously worked as a call centre agent.
Mtshixa said at first it was not easy.
“Some of us only knew how to drive cars, and we were introduced to buses,” said Mtshixa.
Another driver Martina Blankenberg, said she was one of the first women who enrolled for the learnership programme in 2015.
“I enjoy being a driver. I am working hard to improve myself everyday,” she said.