La Rolita: transforming public transportation in Bogota with gender equity

The empowerment of women in the public transportation sector is a reality in Bogotá thanks to La Rolita, District Transportation Operator, the first public operator of the city's Integrated Transportation System. Carolina Martínez, CEO of La Rolita with 23 years of experience in the sector, gave an exclusive interview for Voices of Steer how this pioneering project is transforming a male-dominated sector by offering leadership opportunities to women.

La Rolita's unique selling point is gender equity. In eight months of operation in the Perdomo sector, more than 250 women have been hired as drivers, marking a milestone in the transportation operation. This initiative seeks to break down barriers and challenge gender stereotypes, promoting inclusive and sustainable public transportation.

Carolina has faced various challenges throughout her career focused on projects in the transportation sector, and her passion for mobility has driven her to take on challenges that go beyond her area of expertise as an industrial engineer. However, it was La Rolita’s focus on women's empowerment that made her fall in love with this great city project.

"I am passionate about the issue of mobility. But I also fell in love with the project,” Carolina says.

“[I love] The fact that they are women, being able to do something as a life purpose for them, but also for many men and people with gender diversity".

La Rolita's CEO shared numerous testimonies of people who have experienced professional and personal growth thanks to this opportunity. From operators who went from being bus washers to managing the purchasing area, to women who overcame personal difficulties and found in La Rolita an opportunity to grow professionally, the project has demonstrated its potential to transform lives.

"Today we are making a difference in the lives of about 600 people, impacting 600 families who work with us," she says. She acknowledges that it has not been easy due to the social challenges faced by women, but La Rolita team is committed to overcoming these obstacles and providing growth opportunities for female operators.

La Rolita has faced multiple challenges, one of which is to make the business viable and attractive to female operators. To this end, they are implementing changes, such as reducing the working day and improving working conditions in terms of food and rest. They are also working on setting up a canteen for their employees and exploring the possibility of providing specialized childcare.

Training and education of operators is another fundamental aspect of La Rolita's approach. It recognizes that the training cycle can be long, as many of them enter without previous bus driving experience. La Rolita has implemented driver's license recategorization and training to improve driving skills. Although they have faced disadvantages as the only concessionaire that has opted to hire inexperienced women, Carolina is committed to closing the gap in this sector.

La Rolita's initiative has attracted both national and international attention. The project has aroused the interest of other cities and countries, which are seeking to replicate the model and promote gender equity in public transportation. Although they recognize that there are still many areas for improvement, Carolina highlights the achievements made in only eight months of operation.

Carolina Martínez also highlights the positive impact that La Rolita has had on the community.

"The commitment to a 100% electric and sustainable bus fleet has had a significant impact on the community. Not only are we contributing to the environment as if we had planted 2300 trees for every La Rolita bus, but we are also providing additional services to a sector that previously lacked clean fuel buses, with Wi-Fi and chargers for mobile devices."

La Rolita has also managed to reduce injury accidents thanks to the careful and responsible attitude of the drivers. They have also been recognized for their contribution to the fight against payment evasion in the transportation system.

In terms of the population, La Rolita has managed to involve women in areas beyond driving, such as maintenance, washing, and administration. They seek to leverage the skills and knowledge of their staff to develop projects related to tourism and road safety.

The commitment to gender equity and inclusion seeks to promote not only the participation of women, but also of other vulnerable groups, such as migrant populations. Initiatives aimed at men have been promoted to change habits and behaviours, such as the “A cuidar se aprende” program, which seeks to promote their participation in caregiving tasks. Likewise, spaces are opened such as the celebration of Men's Day, emphasizing this focus on gender equity.

Looking to the future, La Rolita has major projects underway. They seek to strengthen road safety and train their personnel to become multipliers of knowledge in this field. They are also working on proposals to operate the Bogotá cable, as well as to venture into the operation of electric chargers, although they are in the technical, legal and financial review stage to determine their feasibility, they have already identified 17 points in Bogotá that they consider suitable for the installation of these chargers and have made visits to assess their feasibility. In addition, they have plans to participate in school transportation, although they recognize that aligning different entities can be a complex challenge.

Transforming lives

Diana Pinzón, a music teacher with experience in driving cargo vehicles, comes to La Rolita after becoming unemployed due to the pandemic. One of the most difficult challenges is dealing with users. "Sometimes some users don't understand that you have a time regulation, they want you to speed the way the urban vehicles use to do it," Diana has learned to handle these situations with patience and humour. She points out that the Rolita drivers are willing to run the last service of each route, because they understand the importance of providing a reliable option to those who depend on this service to get home. Diana lives in Suba and, although she has been offered opportunities in other companies, she is committed to La Rolita because of the opportunities it has provided her.

Vanesa Díaz, who comes from a family of drivers, showed interest in cars and mechanics from an early age, but was told by her family that this was an unusual interest for a girl. Before becoming part of the La Rolita team, she worked in various jobs, from waitress in a bakery to cashier in a supermarket, school transportation monitor and school transportation operations leader, but it is in driving where she found a special motivation, "When I get into a vehicle to operate it, I put on a suit of armor and I am filled with power". Vanessa greets each passenger individually. Although it may be repetitive, she understands that a small gesture of kindness can have a positive impact on the user experience. She also puts herself in the shoes of vulnerable people, such as the elderly and children, as she is a mother herself and understands the importance of providing a safe and compassionate service.

Maria Eugenia Silva, was a mother from an early age and came to La Rolita from Macarena, Meta, after having worked in various occupations, such as waitress, kitchen assistant and security guard. Due to the pandemic, María Eugenia moved to Bogotá in search of new job opportunities. In her day-to-day work as a driver, she faces challenges, but she also receives a lot of appreciation from the users. "They always tell us, 'You guys really greet you. Also, when it rains and they stick out their hand before the bus stop, you stop a few meters before and pick them up". María Eugenia has found a balance thanks to her work schedule that starts at 3 in the morning and ends around 12 or 1 in the afternoon. She is happy and grateful to be there, recognizing that this unique opportunity does not come along often.