It's 2008, a time, where for the most part, males and females have equal opportunity. We're allowed to vote, we can work in any vocation we choose to, and we have the same rights as our male counterparts. I realize that males and females are created differently. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Myself, I'm not a strong person - I barely passed the physical test to be a bus driver (lifting fifty pounds and five push ups) but other women I know posses the strength to do hard, physical labour that some men aren't even capable of. It's just a matter of finding out what you're good at and enjoy doing. I'm lucky, I've found my niche. I'm a good driver and love working with the public. It's a wonderful time to be a female considering the fact that about a hundred years ago we weren't even allowed to vote. That being said, it frustrates me to no end when I run into someone who lives in the past; the type of person who believes that females were just put on this earth to cook, clean and produce offspring.
The company that currently employs me has quite a few female drivers. Out of over 3500 drivers, I'd say at least one third are female. So it's not a novelty to see a woman driving a bus in this city and yet so many people treat me as though I were a two headed giraffe or something. Seeing as I already receive so much unwanted attention, I do my best to play down my sex appeal as much as possible. I rarely wear make up to work, my hair is usually in a pony tail, my clothes are not skin tight and I make sure my shirt is always buttoned up well past my cleavage. During the summer months I opt to not wear the shorts the company provides (seeing as they cover less than half of my thigh) and choose instead the more demure capri's. Even with me trying to show as little skin as possible, I still am constantly bombarded with men (and occasionally women) acting inappropriately towards me.
On my way to work today, walking down the street in my ill fitting uniform (it's too big on me.) and my men's winter jacket (also way too big) I bump into a man about the same age as me. He looks me up and down and comments "On your way to work?" "Yup" I reply. "You work at the gas station?" he asks. Pointing at the rather large logo embroidered into my jacket I say "No, I'm a bus driver." "Oh, that must suck. Are you going to go back to school so you can get a real job?" he asks. "I've been to school and this is my real job" I reply. This isn't the first time I've heard this question. Being a bus driver is a great job. It pays well, it's challenging, I have amazing benefits and it's a blast. "Hey, has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?" he asks. Yes. A million times. It's the men that tell me I'm smart that get my attention. "Thank you" I reply. "No, I mean it. You're one of the hottest chicks I've seen" he says. Glancing at my watch, I reply "Thanks again, but I'm late for work. See ya." "Goodbye, gorgeous" he shouts after me as I'm walking away. I may be single but I'm not desperate. I'm quite picky about the guys I date.
Later as I'm waiting to pick up my bus I notice this older (55-60yrs old) east indian man staring at me. Making eye contact he approaches me and asks when the bus will arrive. I tell him in about ten minutes. "Oh, that is very good, you are very nice. Are you going on that bus?" he asks. "No, I'm grabbing the one behind" I say. "Where do you live?" he asks. "That's information you don't need to know." I say. By this time, I was starting to get a little disturbed, he kept edging closer and closer to me until i was pinned between the wall and the mailbox. Looking around, I see that my exit is almost completely blocked and the closest people are about half a block away; too far to notice if anything happens. Suddenly he grabs my face and tries to pull it towards his telling me I'm beautiful. I wrench my self free from his grip and start pushing past him so I can escape. He grabs my arm and says "If you don't mind, would you like to come back to my house and play with me?" "NO!" I reply and with renewed force push past him and run into a shop to wait where there are people and proper lighting.
Slightly shaken up I decide to call dispatch not because I'm traumatized but just to warn them of this man who's going to get on the bus. If it's another female operator, I don't want her going through the same experience as me and who knows, this guy could be a pedophile or a rapist. I get through to dispatch and explain what happened. The dispatcher responds immediately "Stay in the shop and I'm going to keep you on the line until security arrives." Within two minutes I see the security car pull up and I hang up the phone and go outside. The three guards ask me what happened and get a description. A supervisor had shown up by this point and security left me with him telling him not to take his eyes off me while they searched the surrounding area. Within five minutes two more supervisors and another security car had arrived. They asked me if I was okay to drive and if I needed counselling. "Nah, I'm fine." I reply.
It's so refreshing to finally be working for a company that treats their employees well. They take this sort of situation very seriously and their first priority is their drivers. So many people ask me if I'm scared driving at night through rough neighbourhoods and I always reply that I feel perfectly safe. It's the support team that I have and all of the safety measures in place that makes me feel as though I'm not alone. All of the buses are tracked by GPS so they know where we are at any given time. They are also equipped with an assault button, cameras and microphones that way dispatch can see and hear what's happening on the bus.
A couple of hours later security meets me at one of my stops just to see if I'm doing okay. They tell me they got a tip from another driver about this guy and now know his regular route and where he works. As they were telling me this, they had another security unit parked at the stop where the man normally gets on, ready to intercept him. Getting back to the yard a few drivers ask how my night was. "Well it started off kind of weird but after that it was fine" I say. "Were you the driver who got assaulted while waiting for your bus?" one guy asks. "No, I wasn't actually assaulted." I say and explain the whole story. "He touched you, that's assault." the other driver says. Shrugging my shoulders I say "Well I guess I was then." It's amazing how fast the rumours get started!
To all of the men out there, please stop looking at me like a sex object and let me do my job.
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