Honouring women drivers

Monday, September 06, 2010

As we continue to celebrate the Inter-American Year of Women, the Bureau of Women's Affairs highlights Jacqueline Williams and Valerie Gooden. These women are making an outstanding contribution to national development through their involvement in the non-traditional occupation of driving. In keeping with the mission of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) to provide a customer-oriented, safe, reliable, modern, cost-effective transportation service through teamwork, Jacqueline Williams and Valerie Gooden are women drivers who have received special training in areas such as defensive driving, schedule adherence, time management, auto mechanics, and customer service. They are committed to national development.

Jacqueline Williams

Jacqueline Williams describes herself as a friendly individual who is dependable and caring. A mother of four with children ages five to 16, she is a very family-oriented person. Williams strives to ensure that her children enjoy similar privileges to those that she had as a child. No matter the task, be it big or small, she aims to do her best in all that she pursues.

Williams' father was a bookkeeper so she recalls running around on the Caymanas and Bog Walk estates where he worked. Many of the values that she now instils in her children are the same values and ideals impressed upon her by her father. He stressed the value of an education and doing well in all pursuits.

Her original dream was to become a lawyer. This was derailed as she did not complete her studies while at St Jago High School. However, Williams was still determined to make a success of her life. With this determination, she received training as a machine operator and was able to secure gainful employment in the garment industry. After a year, she wanted a change and pursued cosmetology studies at the HEART Trust/NTA. She was very successful in this field and developed a following of very loyal customers.

Williams was able to sufficiently provide for herself and her family but she still wanted more for herself. While at church, she struck up a conversation with a church member who was a driver at JUTC. She enquired if women were allowed to become drivers and what she would need to become a driver. The church member advised her to apply for the position.

After making the decision to apply, she sent in her application to the HEART Trust/NTA. In less than three months, she had given in her application, passed the relevant tests and been interviewed for the job. On the day of the interview, Williams made sure she was dressed in a suit, only to arrive and realise that her interview would be with a bus. She watched as others went before her, both men and women, and most had difficulty driving the large standard-operated bus. Williams prevailed in the end and was selected for further training. At the end of the training, she was blessed to be one of five women who graduated among a batch of 80 trainees.

She has been a bus driver for almost 10 years now and enjoys going to her job every day. Driving, she says, gives her a sense of freedom. When she drives, it is just her and the road. She admits though that she does not get to spend as much time with her children as she would like but knows that she is providing them with a better life.

Besides her love for driving, another reason Williams wanted to work for the JUTC is for job security. "As long as Jamaicans have somewhere to go, drivers will always be needed," she said.

For those interested in becoming a driver, Williams said "a love of driving is a must". She also advised aspirants to be orderly and disciplined.

Valerie Gooden

Meet Valerie Gooden. She is a strong, proud, honest and beautiful individual who is poised and self-assured.

She was born in Montego Bay and moved to Kingston as a young girl. She was employed in the service and garment industries before joining the JUTC as a conductress and moving up the ranks to become a defensive driver.

She took the decision to become a driver during the period of transition at the JUTC. During this time, the JUTC was incorporating single-operator buses into their fleet. This policy allowed the drivers to also carry out the duties of the conductress. JUTC also provided opportunities for several conductresses to become drivers.

Although she was initially hesitant, she made the decision to become a driver. This involved obtaining her learner's permit, purchasing the road code booklet and taking private lessons. To her delight, she received her licence on her first attempt and quickly applied to become a JUTC driver. After rigourous and arduous training, she was a proud graduate of the second batch of conductresses to become female drivers.

She recalls that initially she was a timid driver but has gained confidence over time. She is grateful for the tremendous support received from her male colleagues who have also helped to boost her morale. She proudly states that her job has opened up her world to the extent that it has allowed her to meet countless numbers of new and interesting people each day.

A mother of four, Gooden's promotion from conductress to driver has shown her children that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.

Gooden has positioned herself to assist many persons in carrying out their routine activities. She not only values her contribution to the transport industry, but she is determined to take her passengers safely to their various destinations.

Did you watch American football's Super Bowl on Sunday?
	Yes, but just for the advertisements
	Yes, just for the game itself
	Yes, for both the game and advertisements
	No, I did not watch the Super Bowl.

View Results
Results published weekly in Sunday Finance

Username:
Password:

Police threat level at extreme

Honouring women drivers