Diana Ruiz, who began working on Bogotá’s buses selling peanuts and candy at 15 years old while pregnant, has now become a bus driver for La Rolita, the city’s all-electric public bus company. La Rolita, established as part of Mayor Claudia Lopez’s development plan, aims to change people’s perception of mass transportation through public investment. The project focuses on gender equity and operates with an electric fleet. Ruiz, now driving buses for La Rolita, believes that this initiative has been a significant opportunity and has contributed to improving the public transportation system’s image in Bogotá.
Data from TransMilenio, the entity managing the city’s transportation system, reveals that women represent 48% of drivers on the new bus fleet but make up only 2.8% of the city’s overall public bus drivers.
\MORE INFO: Bloomberg
\IMAGES FROM: Bloomberg Photographer: Nathalia Angarita/Bloomberg
