'Growing up, I never saw a female bus driver... so I became one'

As Dublin Bus launches a recruitment campaign for more female drivers, Cara O'Doherty talks to women who have succeeded in the company

Tina Ahern, Chief Inspector with Dublin Bus, who was a driver for 20 years, and moved up the ranks in the organisation.  Picture: Moya Nolan

If you have noticed red-and-white driver training buses on the capital’s roads lately, it is because Dublin Bus is recruiting.

The need for new drivers is at an all-time high. And with just 8% of drivers being female, the push is on to increase that number, under the banner of the ‘More Mná’ campaign.

For Dublin Bus driver Wendy Ward, a lack of confidence initially held her back from applying, despite her brother, Wesley, a long-time driver, insisting she was perfectly capable.

“[Wesley’s] been driving buses for 13 years, and he kept saying to me, ‘They’re recruiting women. Why don’t you come in?’ I was like, ‘No, I won’t be able to drive a bus. Look at the size of it. I wouldn’t be able to pull up to the bus stop’. I put every doubt in front of me.

“Then he said, ‘Just give it a try. They’ll train you. You’ll be grand’,” said Ward, “So, about a year and a half later, I applied — and I just loved it.”

Three years on, and Ward is happy, confident, and fulfilled in her work. She enjoys the interactions with customers, but also how Dublin Bus strives to ensure the job fits around schedules and commitments, which is a consideration for women with families.

She said: “I was full-time, but it wasn’t suiting my family life. I was able to come down to part-time. They asked, ‘What can we do for you?’ They understand if you have family and you can’t work full-time, then you can do part-time.”

Part-time drivers are paid an hourly rate of €22.90 starting off, and full-time drivers start at €893.06 for a five-day week. They are attractive figures, but with concerns over anti-social behaviour, does Ward ever feel nervous driving a bus? She says she has never had trouble on her route, but there are protections.

Wendy Ward who has been a bus driver with Dublin Bus for three years. Picture: Moya Nolan

“You have safety precautions. You have your screen, and you can talk to the controller. If you need assistance from the guards, they can help you. You don’t feel like you’re on your own. If anything happens, you have got the comfort of safety.”

Most of the time, the reaction to female drivers is not aggression; it is surprise.

When women get on the bus, they’d say, ‘Love to see a female driver’. Then, you’d have older gentlemen that might get on and say, ‘Look at the size of this bus, and look at the size of you. Aren’t you tiny? You’re doing great’.

Ward was in her early 40s when she decided to drive, but leaving her job in a takeaway did make her nervous.

“I knew the routine in the take-away. So, going in to it, I was nervous for the change, but I was also excited, because I heard great things about the company.”

The mother of two would encourage her children to join her and her brother at Dublin Bus.

“I’d love to see them here. There are different jobs. You’ve got mechanics, you have shunting, where they bring the buses through the bus wash, and then there are plenty of clerical jobs.”

With almost 25 years on the job, chief inspector Tina Ahern has seen the company transition from diesel buses to a fleet that combines electric and hybrid vehicles. She began her career as a driver, rising through the ranks, and says it was her destiny to work for Dublin Bus.

“I wanted to become a bus driver, because we never had a car when I was growing up, and we travelled on the bus everywhere, but there were never females, and I always thought, ‘I will be one’.”

For Ahern, however, becoming a driver was not something that happened immediately. She was married with two young children, and opportunities to join Dublin Bus were limited.

They were a closed community. They’d advertise, but then close it down. They advertised again in 1999, and my youngest was about to start primary school. It was like all the gods had aligned for me. I applied and I’ve never looked back. I’m very proud that, in the change of the millennium from 1999 to 2000, I was the first person to pass their driving test for this company.

Like many new drivers, Tina initially worked as a spare, assigned to any depot or route where there is a need, before being placed at a permanent depot that suited.

Wendy Ward, left, who has been a bus driver with Dublin Bus for three years, with Tina Ahern, Chief Inspector with Dublin Bus, who was a driver for 20 years. Picture: Moya Nolan

“I was a spare for about five years, before getting a route. I loved the route I was on.

“I’m a people person, so you’re interacting with people on a daily basis. I always thought I was making a difference, because where elderly people would be getting on the bus, sometimes you’re the only person that they’re going to speak to for the day.

Some people are just travelling on the bus for company, and you can’t forget that.

Many drivers are happy to stay behind the wheel, but the company offers plenty of options for progression, and Ahern became an advanced driving instructor in 2019.

“I love the training school. You’re changing people’s lives. They’re coming here for a career. They might have children at home. They might have mortgages. They might have just lost their job. I always took great pride in that.”

In 2023, Ahern was promoted to inspector, and last year she became a chief inspector. Her love for the company is infectious, and she wants to see more women join the ranks and increase the 8% ratio.

“The company understands that women have children, fathers have children, too. It’s not just for females; I want to make that clear. But if you [are female], if you want to come, have opportunity, you can,” she says.

“You can stay at home, look after your children, and work weekends. You can do the evening times, as your children get older.”

Ahern’s son Nathan also works for Dublin Bus, but she says his connection to the company is a little stronger than most employees’.

“I was pregnant with Nathan while I was driving. I always say to him, ’No matter how long anybody else is going to be working here, you’re always going to have that little bit more love, because you were born in to it. You travelled around with me in my belly for nine months’.”