Women drivers say they will not be deterred by ridicule and harassment

Khadija Akter, 28, was a homemaker. In 2021, she trained to drive and later became an instructor. She is one of the drivers of the newly launched bus service operated by women for women.

Over the past two days, she has been among the targets of trolling and abusive comments directed at female drivers in various media outlets and on social media. When this correspondent met her, she opened her phone and showed how people had been harassing her on social media using her photographs.

Yesterday, Thursday, the third day since the new bus service was launched, most of the drivers appeared less willing to speak than they had been on the first day. Most declined to comment. Those who did speak expressed disappointment over the harassment they had faced.

At the same time, they said they had anticipated that they would have to face such challenges. But no matter how much they are trolled, they said, they will not be deterred. This correspondent spoke to the female drivers at the BRTC bus depot in Motijheel on Thursday.

Last Tuesday, the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) launched 14 buses on 13 routes in Dhaka, Bogura and Chattogram, operated by female drivers and conductors and intended exclusively for women. In Dhaka, one single-decker and nine double-decker buses are running on 10 routes. The pink-coloured buses have been dubbed “Pink Buses.”

There have been bus services for women before, but they failed to take off because of the inadequate number of buses and shortcomings in management. This is the first time, however, that a bus service for women has been operated entirely by women.

The service has drawn a range of opinions. Female passengers have expressed relief, while some argue that instead of providing separate buses for women, the entire public transport system should have been made safe and accessible for women. They fear that, because the number of buses is limited, this service could meet the same fate as previous initiatives. Women passengers may have to wait a long time for these buses, causing many to lose interest.

Others have expressed deeply misogynistic views, arguing that women are simply not suited to driving buses. They have been trolling the female drivers. Some media outlets, in a race for views, have also been publishing negative reports.

BRTC officials said they were struggling to deal with the situation. The ministry has instructed officials not to comment on the women’s bus service. It also appears reluctant to promote the service through the media.

There are currently only 15 female drivers and 24 female conductors. Male instructors are being kept on the buses for the time being to supervise the women’s driving.

As a result, officials appear to want to keep media coverage limited until 100 new electric buses, each with 32 seats, are added and the number of drivers is increased. That sentiment was evident at the Motijheel depot. Getting permission to speak to the female drivers itself proved difficult.

The drivers had returned to the depot after driving their assigned routes from 8:00 am and were resting in the women drivers’ waiting area. So far, they have been making trips at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. The buses remain at the depot during the rest of the day.

 ‘Those who ridicule us cannot hold us back’

Driver Khadija Akter told Prothom Alo that she had trained to drive at the BRTC five years ago rather than sit idle at home when she was a homemaker, and later became an instructor. Before being appointed as a Pink Bus driver, she underwent one month and 14 days of training in Gazipur.

“We already know how to drive, so it did not take us long to learn to operate buses and take control of them,” Khadija said.

She said she was proud to be a Pink Bus driver. “As a woman, being responsible for safely taking another woman to her destination and bringing her back gives me joy and strength,” she said.

Khadija said she received support from her family before becoming a driver. Her parents and in-laws encouraged her, while her husband, who has a job, gave her the most support.

She said she was happy to see female passengers getting on the buses enthusiastically. Some passengers told her, “Sister, you are our pride. Please drive very carefully. You will show the world what women can do. Women can work in the transport sector on an equal footing; they are not confined to the home.”

Amid such encouraging words, however, the negative coverage on social media and in some media outlets left her disappointed.

“I have watched some of the videos. Some content creators are mocking us instead of taking a positive view of what we are doing. I want to tell them: you cannot hold us back with any kind of obstacle. We women will continue to work successfully in every sector of the country,” she said.

Khadija said she was upset by many of the comments but chose to ignore them.

“People say many things behind your back. If we let those things upset us and sit around feeling bad, it will have a negative impact on us,” she said.

She urged people to view female drivers positively. “Many boys and girls are frightening passengers with negative comments. As a woman, I want to tell other women: trust us. Do not pay attention to negative comments. It is our responsibility to get you safely to your destination. We will dispel the misconceptions about us,” she said.

 ‘If you listen to what people say, you cannot get ahead in life’

Sathi Khatun, 30, trained to drive at the BRTC six years ago. She had completed her degree at the time. For the past two years, she has worked as a BRTC instructor in Manikganj. During this period, she completed her MA degree and is now studying for an LLB.

She lives in the Savar EPZ area with her husband and only child. Her Pink Bus route runs from Mirpur 10 to Motijheel. She left home at 6:00am and arrived at work before 8:00am.

“I feel good being able to serve female passengers. They thank me when they get off. Drivers of other buses also encourage us. Some foolish people will always say all sorts of things. I am not taking those comments to heart,” Sathi said.

Saying that she wanted to go much further, Sathi said, “We have to change the perceptions of those people. Male drivers also face problems on the road from time to time, so why do they make offensive comments about us simply because we are women? I am not letting these things get into my head. We will show what we can do by doing even better.”

Sathi said her sister-in-law, Taslima Parvin, had also been appointed as a Pink Bus driver in Bogura. Her brother and husband are both truck drivers.

Her brother was the person who encouraged her most to take driving as a profession, while her father gave her courage.

“My father used to say, ‘Women fly planes and drive trains—why can’t you?’ Whenever I am afraid of doing something difficult, my father gives me courage. When I was taking BRTC training, many people around our home said all sorts of offensive things about me and my sister-in-law. I did not pay attention to them. If you listen to what people say, you cannot get ahead in life,” she said.

Calling for more positive attitudes towards women, Sathi said, “We have confidence in ourselves, and we will do well. Many unemployed women will be encouraged when they see us. This will create more employment opportunities for women.”

 ‘We entered this profession knowing we would face negative comments’

“We entered this profession knowing that we would have to hear negative comments. Even if we do something good, people will troll us; if we do something wrong, they certainly will,” said another driver, Mosammat Rabeya Khatun.

Rabeya holds a master’s degree in Islamic History and Culture from Titumir College. On the day the new bus service was launched, she eagerly gave this correspondent a video interview. Today, however, she appeared subdued. Despite repeated requests, she declined to appear on camera.

“You can talk to me, and write it up, but there is no need to make a video,” she said.

Asked whether the trolling was the reason she did not want to give a video interview, Rabeya said, “People troll others for almost anything they do. If you do something good, they will immediately challenge you, asking how long you will be able to keep it up—you face that challenge from the very beginning. And if you do something badly, you will be trolled immediately. It is not possible to face this challenge alone. Everyone’s cooperation is needed. If everyone follows the rules while using the roads, drivers will not have to face so many challenges. Drivers and pedestrians alike need to know and follow traffic rules.”

Rabeya said she learned to drive for free through a BRAC project in 2012. She worked at BRAC from 2014 to 2020 before joining the BRTC as an instructor. In 2024, she obtained a heavy-vehicle driving licence. She lives in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, with her husband and only child.

She said her family had initially opposed her decision to take driving as a profession.

Noting that many people have a negative attitude even towards the word “driver”, Rabeya said, “It does not matter what people say. I believe in myself, and I will move forward. There are many educated but unemployed women who will be encouraged when they see us. The BRTC provides free training. There are many opportunities for women in the transport sector.”

According to Rabeya, women face considerable discrimination in a male-dominated society. Earning an income empowers women. Many women work and support their entire families. In many low-income families, a household cannot survive on the husband’s income alone. When women enter the workforce, they can help support their husbands.

Two other drivers also declined to speak today because of the negative comments on social media. They had spoken to this correspondent on the day the service was launched. They said they feared that speaking to the media again would expose them to further harassment. They would rather remain silent and continue doing their jobs.

They expressed disappointment, saying that they, too, have families and relatives. Those posting such comments do not consider the social harm the trolling could cause them. They said they wanted to prove their abilities through their work.