“Woman at the wheel, accident at the bend? Really ? I can tell you that I have never had any problems unlike many of my colleagues, ”says Sofiane, a driver VTC of the Toulouse region and she is no exception in front of her steering wheel. Toulouse is, in fact, the city alongside Nice with the highest proportion of female VTC drivers, according to a study by bolt. The share of female drivers is more than twice the national average and almost three times higher in Paris, all the same.
“We observe that the profession of VTC driver attracts more and more women. In two years, the number of female VTC drivers in France has increased sixfold,” explains Guillaume Burland of Bolt. In 2018, according to EureCab, price comparator for private drivers and taxis, women accounted for 6% of VTC drivers. A figure which then rose sharply post-Covid. However, they are still largely under-represented in this profession, in particular because of certain barriers and prejudices. “When I started, it was clearly for the money. I had a car, I had lost my job and I have a 6-year-old child in my care”, develops Sofiane who had to impose herself in this very masculine environment three years ago. “When some people want to help you understand all the tricks, the good plans, you never know if it’s not interest behind it or not pure kindness”, insists this tall woman with long hair hidden by the headrest of her German sedan. “A nice gift from my parents to celebrate the birth of my daughter,” smiles the driver Uber, another VTC platform.
Gestures that can save
This 32-year-old driver was one of the first to start in Toulouse… “Very honestly, if I hadn’t had a knife in my throat, I wouldn’t have taken up this job. As a woman, even if I can be more imposing than the norm, I know that I can put myself in danger, she admits. Fortunately, nothing serious has ever happened to me, but now that I see more and more women driving a VTC, I try to give them the right reflexes to have. »
And it’s small gestures that turn his activity into a new passion: “You shouldn’t take any man after 8 p.m. Prioritize families, women and groups of friends during the day. Above all, position yourself at stations or airports. We avoid insistent, drunk or simply dangerous men. Thanks to this, Sofiane spends her days doing service, meeting people, and talking about everything and nothing without too much effort before going to pick up her little one, “the love of my life”, at school. . “I don’t think I’ll do this all my life, but I manage to make ends meet, see my daughter and discover a lot of things thanks to my clients”, enthuses the driver who is not shy. “The environment is still very misogynistic but it’s proven, if more women drove, there would be fewer accidents,” she laughs when she arrives at her destination.
A campaign to motivate women
To enable greater safety, therefore, Bolt recently launched a campaign called “Women at the Wheel” which aims to reduce the unequal representation of women in the transport sector. This campaign highlights the profession of VTC driver as an additional option to earn a living in a flexible and independent way. “Women are underrepresented in many areas of society, but the inequality is particularly visible in the transport sector,” says Julien Mouyeket, managing director of Bolt in France. “There are many reasons why women don’t consider working as drivers, and this campaign aims to raise awareness of certain prejudices against female drivers through apps like Bolt. This is especially important now that the cost of living is rising for everyone. »