Female job changers

More female trolleybus drivers: “Women drive more sensitively”

Rojin Amin (left) and Fehria Soylu are among the few women behind the wheel of a trolleybus in Salzburg

(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

Salzburg Linien is once again trying to recruit more women for the job of trolleybus driver. Two female drivers tell the "Krone" about their professional world behind the wheel.

Only eight percent of the Salzburg trolleybus workforce is female. This is set to change. To mark International Women's Day, Ladies Day is being held for the second time on March 7 at the Remise in Alpenstraße to make the job of driving a trolleybus more appealing to women. The "Krone" met two female drivers for an interview. It quickly became clear that both Fehria Soylu and Rojin Amin are more than satisfied. "It's a really well-paid job," says Soylu, who draws attention to a problem faced by many women. "Many women's jobs are very poorly paid." She herself came from the retail sector and has been driving a trolleybus since May 2024.

From retail to the trolleybus wheel
She raves about how proud she was when she successfully completed her training and gained a foothold in a "man's job". Rojin Amin had a similar experience. The 37-year-old came to Salzburg from Syria ten years ago and worked as a primary school teacher in her home country. But she never really settled here. Like her colleague, she also worked in sales and came across the job through a self-advertisement on the trolleybus.

A lot has changed for her since then. "Since I started here, everything has improved," she reports and praises the support from the company. Job security is a big plus point for the two drivers. And that they also receive praise from customers. "Many say that women drive more sensitively than men," smiles Soylu. Incidentally, neither of the ladies let the heavy Salzburg traffic stress them out. "You always have to stay calm at the wheel," Amin clarifies.