FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

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Sandybeachbusrun
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FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by Sandybeachbusrun »

My mother Ann Roberts I believe to be the first woman bus driver in NSW -maybe Australia in 1942. My mother was the conductor on their privately owned bus run from Mortdale Sydney NSW to Jewfish Point Oatley NSW. One morning my father Steve Roberts was ill and could not drive the bus. Ann without a licence filled the gas bag on top of the bus(fuel was scarce) and drove the bus. The Dept of Motor Transport issued her a licence. They then purchased a second bus of which they both drove.The bus obviously had a crash gearbox, no power steering and rough roads particularly difficult down the narrow roads to the pleasure grounds at Oatley Park. Attached is a photo in front of their house which was the depot in Gungah Bay Road Oatley. Many senior residents in Oatley still remember her well. Evan Roberts]
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Centralian
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Re: FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by Centralian »

There were a few women driving tourist cars in the Blue Mountains to sights such as Jenolan Caves etc. prior to 1942.(eg. Eileen Booker of Bookers Touring Service). Not sure if that fits into your reference to 'bus driver'. There was also a female proprietor of a couple of service runs in Katoomba some 20 years earlier but to date I haven't found anything to indicate she actually drove the buses at the time, it would only be an assumption on my part. Certainly an interesting subject to expand on and record some of those early female drivers in the bus industry. Certainly rare before the war anyway.
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boronia
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Re: FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by boronia »

A quick look through the operators' list in sydneybusroutes.com show several names with Mrs or Miss honorifics.
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Rclasstramcar
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Re: FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by Rclasstramcar »

There were quite a number of women bus drivers back then, ranging from Owner Drivers to multi vehicle operators.

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paulgersche
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Re: FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by paulgersche »

I know that this is about NSW, but search for "Sylvia Birdseye" and you will find information about this remarkable South Australian!

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Re: FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by Swift »

A lady STA inspector used to recall stories of her bus driving days and said she was among the first women govviebus drivers around the late 60s and the male bus drivers treated them horribly. She recalled the hot engine beside her as she drove and no power steer of the AECs. They must have been the 31 seaters!

I took an ex Deanes Coaches driver in my taxi a few years ago and she recalled the AEC bus she drove on her run in Lindfield during the 80s had no power steer. I deduced that it must have been one of their ex Canberra Swift 505s as their 760 Swifts all had power assisted steer. She was a lovely woman and in great shape too!
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Re: FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by captainch »

one of the first female inspectors was one of the first female drivers at RYDE DEPOT the men treated them like dirt................she was on the trams as a conductress she lived next door to ryde depot but had to work as a conductress at leichhardt depot as ryde would not allow females as conductress..............she worked at ryde & port botany till she retired in 2009 she told of men she worked with on the trams abusing her as a fermale driver & inspector so much for non -discrimation a nicer person you could ever meet Shirley and sue freerless from brookvale were the first female inspectors...........also many years ago leichhardt depot had the very first transgender driver which a lot of staff didn;t know they did the all night shift because fermale staff would not let them use the female toilets & MALES NO TO MALE TOILETS he took the dept to court and won they would not let them wear the female uniform.how things have changed!................he was awaeded a very large sum of money long before gay rights!...........because the old male roster clerk did not like woman shirley used to get rostered for 31 seater buses on carlingford /telopea a hard run in summer a XXX buses! but she was one of the first to wear shorts & again got into trouble till a couple of woman took the dept to court!so woman had to drive crash box deckers 31 seaters , do night shifts ect same as men for less money till again a court case. .......now as a ex inspecter things turned back WOMAN REFUSE to do night shifts.in case their attacked, want a/c buses or go sick stating womans trouble, have to have weekends off, some of the old staff would turn in their graves. NO i'm not against woman but they must do the job with out looking for excuses also males are not getting off easy young staff can't do A.M shifts they start to early!!surfs up goyya go get the waves!Sometimes wonder how I DID 50 YEARS. But I did and enjoyed every minute. made good mates & a few enimes but thats life on the buses!
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LB608
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Re: FIRST WOMAN BUS DRIVER NSW

Post by LB608 »

captainch wrote:one of the first female inspectors was one of the first female drivers at RYDE DEPOT the men treated them like dirt................she was on the trams as a conductress she lived next door to ryde depot but had to work as a conductress at leichhardt depot as ryde would not allow females as conductress..............she worked at ryde & port botany till she retired in 2009 she told of men she worked with on the trams abusing her as a fermale driver & inspector so much for non -discrimation a nicer person you could ever meet Shirley and sue freerless from brookvale were the first female inspectors...........also many years ago leichhardt depot had the very first transgender driver which a lot of staff didn;t know they did the all night shift because fermale staff would not let them use the female toilets & MALES NO TO MALE TOILETS he took the dept to court and won they would not let them wear the female uniform.how things have changed!................he was awaeded a very large sum of money long before gay rights!...........because the old male roster clerk did not like woman shirley used to get rostered for 31 seater buses on carlingford /telopea a hard run in summer a XXX buses! but she was one of the first to wear shorts & again got into trouble till a couple of woman took the dept to court!so woman had to drive crash box deckers 31 seaters , do night shifts ect same as men for less money till again a court case. .......now as a ex inspecter things turned back WOMAN REFUSE to do night shifts.in case their attacked, want a/c buses or go sick stating womans trouble, have to have weekends off, some of the old staff would turn in their graves. NO i'm not against woman but they must do the job with out looking for excuses also males are not getting off easy young staff can't do A.M shifts they start to early!!surfs up goyya go get the waves!Sometimes wonder how I DID 50 YEARS. But I did and enjoyed every minute. made good mates & a few enimes but thats life on the buses!
Well said Ray
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