A project to train women to become city bus drivers is being launched in Ukraine

photo: Mitchell Johnson

The Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine and UN Women in Ukraine have agreed to implement a project to educate women drivers in bus transportation. The project will begin soon in cooperation with several cities. This was reported by the Ministry of Infrastructure on its website.

The project, called “Expanding the Professional Potential of Women in Passenger Transportation,” is a free program to develop women's professional skills. In fact, it is a response to the shortage of personnel in the transportation sector caused by the full-scale invasion. The pilot project will be implemented by the NGO Institutional Development Foundation with financial support of Sweden.

“The purpose of the pilot project is to provide retraining and retraining of women drivers in the field of urban and municipal transport, namely buses. This is the first initiative of the Ministry aimed at both overcoming the shortage of personnel and overcoming stereotypes and prejudices about professions. According to the latest data, the shortage of bus drivers in the regions is about 30%, which is about six thousand employees. I am grateful to our partners from UN Women for supporting this idea and for their willingness to implement this ambitious project together,” said Serhii Derkach, Deputy Minister of Community Development, Territorial and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.

The key objectives of the initiative include:

• creation of new jobs and opportunities for professional development of women in the field of public transport in accordance with the requirements of the transport reform in Ukraine and European standards;
• expanding employment opportunities for women in the field of passenger transportation;
• integration of standards for the observance of women's rights at public utilities in the field of passenger transportation. 

“This project is very important for supporting women who are interested in entering the labor market. It will give them new skills and access to work as bus drivers. It is also very important for UN Women that this project involves employers, with whom we work to ensure full equality in the workplace and eliminate discrimination,” emphasized Sabine Fraser, UN Women Representative in Ukraine.

The project also provides training for women to obtain a driver's qualification card (code 95). This is a document that confirms the professional competence of a bus driver according to the European standard.

In addition, a series of training events will be held at the pilot utilities to implement standards for the observance of women's rights in the workplace, as well as general monitoring of women's rights among the utilities participating in the project. Based on the results of this monitoring, recommendations and an implementation plan will be provided to ensure women's rights in transport enterprises.

As a reminder, the problem of staff shortages is critical for public passenger transportation in many Ukrainian cities, and it was covered in detail in February 2024 in the document “Recommendations for Changes in State Policy to Ensure the Proper Functioning of Public Transport under Martial Law in Ukraine and as Part of Sustainable (Green) Recovery.” The document was prepared by the public organization Vision Zero, having processed 75 positions from 16 city departments and utilities.  It was discussed at an online roundtable with the participation of the Association of Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine and representatives of municipalities and the expert community.