Egyptian women Hind and Susan recently applied to work as drivers for metro trains after the company announced on its official website that it needed metro train drivers.
They were accepted to work after passing the training stage, which they did. They received intensive training for four months and passed the final exams. They were then appointed with a salary of 7,000 pounds per month in addition to medical and social insurance.
According to different media resources, Susan and Hind started driving metro trains three months ago; they work on a shift system six days a week, 8 hours a day.
As for driving trains, the two women say that 90% of trains run automatically, and the train has an integrated safety system. The task of the drivers is to follow the stages of operation and open and close the doors upon arrival at the station.
The driver must also intervene to stop the train in case of an emergency; if necessary, the train can be driven manually.
On the recently hired female drivers, Hind is married and has two children, Hamza and Jannah. Her husband is one of her biggest supporters; he motivates her and encourages her not to pay attention to criticism and negative comments. Her 7-year-old daughter Jannah is very proud of her mother and of being Egypt’s first female metro train driver.
On the other hand, Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts, and when she learned about the job opportunities in the metro, she did not see any objection to applying for the experience.
Of course, both women are subjected to some harassment, criticism, and negative comments; on top of them, the most famous comment is, “You belong in the kitchen.”
However, they stressed that they get way more positive comments than negative ones and that passengers, especially young people, generally encourage them.
