Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality has made its expanded women-driver programme mandatory for privately operated public buses as part of efforts to ensure gender equality. Under the protocol signed with the Private Public Bus Cooperative, an initial cohort of 25 women bus drivers will take the wheel from 1 November. The measure is also expected to resolve certain ongoing issues in public transport.

Within the scope of the protocol with privately operated public buses, the Metropolitan Municipality has introduced a new measure to increase women’s employment in public transport and ensure gender equality in the transport sector.

According to the protocol signed with the Private Public Bus Cooperative on 26 December 2024, following the abolition of cash payments on board, women drivers will be employed to make up 20% of the total number of drivers working on public buses.

By strengthening women’s participation in economic life and increasing labour-force inclusion, the initiative aims to make women’s presence visible in a male-dominated field such as transport and to drive an equality-oriented transformation in the city’s public life.

The first 25 women recruited have completed their practical driving training. Having taken to the roads, they will officially start duty on 1 November.

‘We aim to employ about to 100 women drivers’

Providing information on the protocol, Head of the Department of Transportation Temel Cengiz noted that the recruitment of women drivers began with an initial 25 drivers, in line with the protocol. Stating that training is ongoing, Cengiz added: “In parallel, we also want to increase the number of women drivers on municipal buses. For public buses, we aim to employ close to 100 women drivers.”

‘The notion of a “man’s job” will be shattered’

Highlighting that women’s presence in transport will lead to a more considerate public transport service, Cengiz continued: “With women on board, we expect a more sensitive public transport system. Alongside this, a more disciplined process awaits us. Women’s involvement in this field will dispel negative perceptions. At the same time, it will show that women work very effectively in this sector. The notion of a ‘man’s job’ will also be shattered.”

‘Achieving equality in transport would be a major success’

Cengiz stated that the Metropolitan Municipality’s recruitment of women drivers is ongoing, adding: “If we can achieve parity, it will be a major success in the long term. We particularly want women to work in this field. Our efforts on this will continue.”

‘Those who saw us cheered us on—it made us proud’

Sevgi Karakaya, one of the drivers set to start on privately operated public buses, said she is a graduate in Emergency Aid and Disaster Management, noting that she did not receive the score she wanted in the Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS) and applied to the project after liking what she saw. “I thought there is nothing a woman cannot achieve if she sets her mind to it. As a woman, I wanted to be part of this project,” Karakaya said, adding that they had completed training and were ready to work. Thanking the Metropolitan Municipality for creating employment opportunities for women, Karakaya added: “There are women drivers in the transport sector in many cities. The people of Diyarbakır also support women in this respect. Many of our women friends and students applauded and congratulated us when they saw us. Seeing this made me proud. It made me even more eager for this job, and I took this step believing I could do it. As the people of Diyarbakır, I wish for very bright tomorrows. I believe we will succeed.”

‘We are now in training’

Berfin Tuğal said she graduated from university last year and applied to the project with great excitement. Explaining that they began training after being accepted, Tuğal said: “We are now in training; we go out with the drivers and get to know the roads and routes. We are also getting to know the vehicles: how to operate them, how to board passengers and how to alight them—these are what we are learning.”

A call to men: Do not obstruct us in traffic

Stating that they will start work on 1 November, Tuğal said: “In our region, women are not çvery active as drivers, so this is seen as a problem. Let there be a card system on Private Public Buses as well so that we do not face too many problems. Our call to men: do not obstruct us in traffic, do not honk at us. Change your mindset.”

Equality objective extends across the city

To increase comfort in transport and facilitate urban access, the Metropolitan Municipality added 49 new buses to its fleet in June and took an important step in increasing women’s visibility in public space by employing 12 women drivers. With this initiative, the Municipality aims to extend the equality objective across the city and implement it in all areas of life.