To date, Taipei is the only city on the island in which people can travel by mass rapid transit. The Tamsui line began operation in March 1997, connecting downtown Taipei and Tamsui, a suburb north of the city. When the Chungho line opened at the end of 1998, it extended southward to Chungho, in Taipei County. At first, all train operators were men, but ten women were hired for the post in April 1998--a move that drew the attention of the local media. In early 1999, the company recruited ten more women who will start service around the middle of the year.
Hsu Shih-yuan, twenty-six, was one of the first ten female drivers, and has worked for the Taipei Rapid Transit Corpora tion for about ten months. Some people might not associate the image of an attractive young woman with the job of operating a big, high-speed train. Regardless, the buoyant Hsu enjoys her job, though her life is often rather busy. A working woman, Hsu goes to night school three times a week.
I chose to work for the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation because I thought I could have a stable job in such a big company. So I took an examination held by the company early last year. More than a hundred girls registered for the exam, and some sixty actually took it. It included a written test, an interview, and a physical test that required each examinee to carry a twenty-kilogram [forty-four-pound] sandbag for about a hundred meters [328 feet]. To my surprise, I was one of the ten who passed. And we're all young--from twenty-three to thirty-one years old.
So I began to receive training last April. In the first month, each new worker had to attend indoor classes to learn something theoretical, and in the following two months a headman taught me how to drive a rapid transit train--including how to connect and disconnect the cars, and how to drive it to the carwash yards. My first hands-on experience was very interesting.
Later, when I was first really at the wheel with passengers on the train last July, I felt afraid, with nothing on my mind but the driving rules I had learned--such as, "Be aware of passengers when approaching the station," and "Watch the rails when leaving the station." A male supervisor was at my side when I drove the first several times, but after a month I was left totally alone. I still remember the first time I was completely on my own. The train was bound for Tamsui, but I was so nervous that the beautiful scenery along the Tamsui River was nothing but a blank in my mind. This lasted for some time. About two or three weeks later I felt able to admire the scenery, and I knew I was becoming skillful. This gave me a feeling of growth.
There are about ninety drivers in total on the Tamsui line, and we work in three shifts. The morning shift is from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the day shift is from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. As to the late-night shift, it's more tiring than the other two, beginning at 10:00 p.m. and ending at 7:00 a.m. the next morning. The driver on this shift is responsible for the last train, which departs at 11:00 p.m., and the first one departing at 6:00 a.m. These drivers have to drive the last train to the trainyard for servicing at the end of the day, which means working until about 1:00 a.m. After that, the driver can take a nap for about three and a half hours in MRT [Mass Rapid Transit] facilities located in the Taipei Railway Station, because he or she must get up early in the morning to make preparations for the next day's service.
Originally women were not allowed to work nights, because under the Labor Standards Law female laborers couldn't work after 10:00 p.m. unless employers provided services to assure their safety, such as accommodations in the workplace. But late last year the company began to provide accommodations for women, so today we girls can work the graveyard shift. Some of my female colleagues take these shifts, but I don't. Their salaries are higher--over NT$30,000 [US$909] a month. Now I earn NT$27,000 [US$818] every month, but I hope for more.
And now I go to a vocational school three nights a week, so usually I have to exchange shifts with my colleagues and take morning shifts. They're all pretty accommodating. I live with my parents, and they get up early if I am to take the first shift, and don't usually go to bed until they see me coming home from school at night. You could say my life is busy. I don't have much time to spend with my family. Or with my boyfriend--we're not even "going steady." Sometimes I hear him complain about my current life. You know, interpersonal relationships need time to develop. Still, I'm not going to change my present situation.
Generally speaking, gender doesn't affect one's performance as an MRT driver, except that males are usually stronger physically. But I know some passengers take special notice of me when they see me, because I'm a girl. I've even overheard several old men saying, "Look! The driver is a girl. Let's take the next train." Then they take one step back, refusing to ride the train I am operating. You know, the people waiting on the platform can see the gender of the operator when the train slows down as it enters the station. On the other hand, I think female drivers appear more approachable to some people--especially mothers traveling with kids. I've also had the experience of being greeted by such passengers. They say goodbye to me when they leave the train.
At the same time, I think we girls should be more careful than the male operators when we handle things. For example, before the train is driven to the trainyard after service, the driver has to check all the cars and ask all the passengers to leave. Once I found a drunken traveler still napping in one of the traincars after all the other passengers had exited, but I didn't dare get too close to him, so I called to him from outside of the car. I had to be very wise and protect myself.
Anyway, besides the sense of security, this job can offer me a future as the other lines come into operation one after another in the coming years. One can get ahead in this job. One out of ten operators can be promoted to the position of leader--though currently we don't have any female leaders because none of us has enough seniority. According to the rule of the company, you're qualified to be considered for that position after serving as a driver for one year, so soon female drivers will have the chance to be promoted. I think I'll continue working here even after I graduate from night school this summer.