Concerned male and female bus drivers and conductors of Route 45 (Hospital) minibuses yesterday staged a picket at their park near Stabroek Square to protest against continuous abuse which they say is being meted out to female operators by male colleagues.
The small gathering of mostly women, assembled at the park yesterday in an effort to “make a call for the acts to cease.” The women, who were much more vocal than their male supporters, said that acts of violence, both verbal and physical, have become quite common, and shared that yesterday’s protest was spurred after a female driver was assaulted last Sunday.
Tuschelle Miller, who drives a Route 45 minibus, said that she was operating her bus on Sunday when a male driver punched her several times during a disagreement. She said that she was in the waiting line and when it came time for her to drive to the front to “take her load,” a male driver, who was on the hot plate, drove in front of her bus, causing a minor collision.
The hot plate refers to the area, apart from the stipulated waiting zone, where the more popular buses off-load then take on passengers. In many instances, hot plate buses fill up much faster than the buses which opt to follow the rules.
“After he bus knock me own he ask me fuh drop back, and when I refuse he start cuss me up.,” Miller shared. She said that despite sustaining a long period of “cussin,” she still refused to move. Realising that his verbal assault was getting him nowhere, the man walked up to Miller’s window and punched her twice to the right side of her face.
Though the incident occurred on Sunday, the woman’s face was still swollen when Stabroek News spoke to her yesterday. Miller said that she made a report of the matter to the Brickdam Police station after attempts to do so at the outpost in Stabroek Square proved futile.
She said that a request was made to have the matter transferred from the outpost at Stabroek Square and shared that the matter is scheduled for court tomorrow.
Eon Andrews, President of the United Minibus Union yesterday said that the association has been receiving reports of abuse by men against their female counterparts for some time now. He said that the minibus industry has long been dominated by men, but that a lot of women are now choosing to become drivers and conductors.
He said that for the most part the men and women have been getting along well although “there will be those kinds of males who feel that they need to dominate somebody.”
“They (female drivers and conductors) are holding their own and they need to be respected you know, and supported cause that is how the world is. There is nothing about a male dominated kind of industry, they’re all trying to earn a living and they need to be respected,” Andrews said.
