Women behind the wheel! Inclusion, mobility and security

In a culture where jobs are often defined based on sex, one issue is for companies to seek to hire women, and another, more challenging one, is to obtain results that transform the very nature of organizations.

It all starts with a change in perception to understand the types of work that women can do.

A district mobility expert team in Bogotá, Colombia, faced this challenge while discussing the gender-inclusive vision for the city's newly created electric bus company.

Called La Rolita – a local idiom that means “woman from Bogotá” – the company aspired to have a workforce made up mostly of female bus operators.

But how to achieve this objective, especially if its fulfillment is viewed as part of a broader strategy for creating jobs for women in sectors traditionally dominated by men.

The effort began when the city provided training and licensing support to a target group of women: female heads of households in low-income communities who could drive a car, but lacked the license and experience to operate an electric bus.

It was a successful effort: in 2022, when La Rolita's new all-electric fleet of 195 buses rolled through the city streets for the first time, many had women behind the wheel.

This was a great start, but other challenges also arose: how could the company ensure that the women trained and hired stayed in their jobs?

Finally, these new bus drivers would have to juggle the demands of work and home.

Many faced long commutes to get to work.

Safety was also a challenge, especially for those assigned late night or early morning shifts.

To address these challenges, the Ministry of Mobility requested the support of IFC, a long-standing partner of the city in projects that seek to foster inclusion and sustainable growth.

In 2018, for example, IFC support fueled the construction of the TransMiCable, which connected some of the city's poorest neighborhoods to public transportation hubs for the first time.

IFC Framework for a Sustainable and Gender-Inclusive Workforce in the Transport Sector, based on the ILO Career Cycle for Women in Transport (2013). IFC

IFC's gender and infrastructure team advised La Rolita on ways to achieve its gender goals, using proven tools and industry experience.

In parallel, the team looked more broadly at the city's transportation sector, developing an analytical framework to build and maintain a gender-inclusive workforce.

The IFC team highlighted how inclusive workplace policies and procedures would be critical to ensuring female operators remain with the company.

This means flexible hours.

It means family-friendly job benefits, like daycare and child care support.

Also, appropriate infrastructure along the route, such as adequate bathrooms.

La Rolita has taken the recommendations very seriously, developing and improving its policies and procedures.

Following work with IFC, La Rolita established a diversity, equity and inclusion committee to oversee progress.

And it is implementing a gender action plan, with ambitious goals in areas such as recruitment, retention and promotion.

Next steps for La Rolita include exploring options for child care and obtaining a local seal of gender inclusion.

Today, La Rolita is a public-private company, jointly owned by the city and Enel, a global green energy player, as a minority shareholder.

The company's ten routes, some of which pass through underserved neighborhoods, cover more than 338 km.

And around 60 percent of La Rolita's bus operating workforce is women, a notable statistic considering the 1.4% female participation rate in Bogotá's public transportation sector in 2022.

La Rolita electric bus operators report significant job satisfaction.

“The best thing about this job is that with the salary I can cover my needs more easily than before,” says driver Sara Montiel.

“Before La Rolita, it was more difficult to do it because I earned minimum wage.”

A recent survey of operators shows that the great challenge of cultural change is also underway.

“I hope that women can continue to show that we can do the same jobs as men,” wrote one respondent.

“Since I was little, my desire was always to drive a taxi, and here I am driving these buses!

Now I want more,” commented another operator.

As La Rolita buses crisscross the city with proud women behind the wheel, many more girls and women in Bogotá will be able to imagine careers in the transportation sector.

La Rolita operator, Diana Rodríguez, about to start the Alta Arborizadora route. Amanda Díaz Ramírez, IFC.

IFC's work with La Rolita is part of a comprehensive approach to promote investments in electric mobility solutions for cities in emerging markets, as a way to expand access to public transportation, create jobs in the new green economy, increase opportunities for women and promote climate-friendly urban services.

*The authors are IFC infrastructure, finance and sustainable investment specialists.