Egypt’s Metro Has Hired These Two Women As The Country’s First Ever Women Drivers
Two Egyptian women were hired as Cairo’s first women metro drivers, leading the way as an inspiration for other women to pursue similar roles.
In a country where women’s rights are severely restricted, two Egyptian women are paving the way as the first women metro drivers in Cairo – and inspiring more women to follow suit.
Hend Mahmoud and Suzan Ahmed made history when they started driving metro trains in the Cairo underground after undergoing months of training.
“When I saw the ad (for the job), I was so excited, I felt I could succeed in this position especially that it’s the first time in Egypt (for women) and I thought it would be great for me to be one of the first women to be in this place,” Mahmoud told Reuters.
Ahmed, meanwhile, told Reuters that the biggest challenge was passengers’ bewilderment at seeing a woman driver.
However, she said that most of the reactions had been positive.
“A lot of people were very encouraging, a lot of people came to us after the end of our shifts to wish us good luck, and a lot of women were excited and asked us how they could apply to become metro drivers like us,” she said.
Cairo’s RATP Dev Mobility Cairo (RDMC), the company operating the country’s third metro line, employs a total of 78 drivers – both men and women – and is now planning on training up other women in the coming months.
