She Drives: an open discussion on the achievements and challenges of the pilot project

Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine, Kateryna Datsko, Executive Director of the Foundation for Institutional Development, and graduates of the She Drives project. Photo: She Drives/Illia Chervonyashiy

As part of the She Drives project, which aims to train and employ women as bus and truck drivers, an open discussion was held in Kyiv on 27 November to review the project’s implementation status and its impact on advancing women’s leadership in the transport sector.

The event, titled “Moving forward: progress, challenges, solutions,” brought together project participants, representatives of the Ukrainian government, UN Women, local authorities, businesses, municipal enterprises, and civil society organizations.

97 women have completed or are still undergoing training to become bus drivers.

• 79 participants passed the theoretical exam.
• 74 participants completed the practical training.
• 61 participants obtained their driver’s license.

Additionally, 27 participants have completed or are continuing training for categories “C” / “CE”.

• 16 participants are undergoing practical training.
• 11 participants have completed the practical training.
• 7 participants obtained a category “C” / “CE” license.

Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine. Photo: She Drives/Illia Chervonyashiy

“She Drives is not just a training programme but a real instrument of change in the transport sector. It has demonstrated that women are eager to work in transport, while also highlighting systemic barriers—from the quality of training and outdated material resources of driving schools to challenges in employment and persistent labour-market stereotypes. Our task today is to speak honestly about these challenges and to work just as openly with communities, employers, driving schools, and international partners to find solutions. We want the participants’ path into the profession to be fast, safe, and effective. And we are convinced: where there is cooperation, there is progress. That is why She Drives continues to transform not only the lives of individual women but the culture of the entire sector,” emphasized Serhiy Derkach, the Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine. Photo: She Drives/Illia Chervonyashiy

"The open discussion within the She Drives project gave us a great opportunity to highlight our progress and honestly reflect on the challenges we encountered in this pilot initiative. Participants and partners shared valuable lessons from navigating complex recruitment and training processes to addressing persistent stereotypes that limit women’s access to decent work. But all expressed a strong commitment to do more and better to increase the number of women bus drivers across the country. Thanks to this pilot, the number of women bus drivers has tripled or even quadrupled in some cities, and more cities are eager to follow suit. We plan to continue the initiative, building on the lessons learned so far,” said Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine.

Key topics of discussion included the project’s main achievements, in particular improving women’s access to professions in the transport sector, creating partnerships between communities, transport operators, and educational institutions, and laying the groundwork for developing a community of women in transport.

Special attention was given to analysing the challenges participants faced during training and employment, and to identifying systemic solutions for overcoming gender barriers.

“She Drives and its results would not have been possible without the participants, strong, motivated women who dared to change their lives and challenge stereotypes about ‘non-traditional’ professions for women. The experience of the project showed that retraining must combine professional instruction with motivational and psychological support, confidence-building, and adaptation to the profession, as well as the expansion of driving schools ready to work according to modern standards. The successful integration of women into the profession depends not only on training but also on the readiness of enterprises to adapt,” emphasized Kateryna Datsko, Executive Director of the Foundation for Institutional Development.

The event featured panel discussions with representatives of government agencies, international organizations, and employer partners. The discussion included Rehina Kharchenko, Acting Mayor of Zaporizhzhia and Secretary of the City Council; Volodymyr Sukhachok, Director General of the municipal enterprise Zaporizhelektrotrans; Orysia Hrymak, Business Development Manager at FlixBus; Svitlana Streliana, founder of Kharkiv ATP-16363, and Tetiana Shlinchak, HR Manager at KLR.

Participants of the panel discussion "Partnership for change: challenges and successes of cooperation between communities, carriers, and driving schools". Photo: She Drives/Illia Chervonyashiy

Participants of the project also shared their personal stories about their professional journeys, challenges, and the transformations made possible through She Drives.

“I work as a bus driver in Lviv, and I truly enjoy it. In the beginning, everything seems difficult, but if you approach the process as personal growth, each next step brings incredible joy. My employer supported me a lot: together we selected a route that suited me, and drawing on my previous experience, I keep a logbook to record all technical details and improve the bus’s performance. And believe me, in this profession, there will always be colleagues who ask, ‘Do you need help?’ And not understanding something at the start is absolutely normal,” shared Tetiana Zherebetska, the She Drives participant and bus driver at Lviv Municipal enterprise ATP-1.

“Many women I spoke to did not believe that the training could be free, but I trusted the process and applied. It became one of the most important decisions of my life. I worried about my age and the stereotypes, but step by step, I realized that this is only the first rung of many, and ahead are challenges, doubts, looks, and tests of resilience. On the road, all sorts of things happen: snowy passes, a damaged truck, stressful situations with the police or parking. But at the same time, there is support from colleagues, mentors, and an employer who believed in me and gave me a chance. I want to tell women: if your heart beats faster when you see a truck or a bus, and you feel this is for you, don’t stop. This profession is demanding, but it is absolutely worth it,” said Vira Babii, the She Drives participant and a truck driver at MHP.

The event resulted in a number of important conclusions:

• Retraining programmes must include not only technical skills but also motivational modules, psychological support, confidence-building, and adaptation to working in the transport sector.

• The system for training women drivers requires strengthening, including through the development of training centres and driving schools prepared to implement such programmes.

• Successful integration of women into transport professions depends not only on high-quality training but also on enterprises’ readiness to change corporate approaches and create inclusive working environments.

• Local authorities must be more actively involved in developing the transport sector and supporting women who wish to work in it.

A practical outcome of the event was the joint development of a roadmap for growing the community of women in transport and agreeing on potential formats for further scaling up the initiative. The work continues, and we remain committed to strengthening women’s role in the transport sector and expanding their rights and opportunities.

Photo: She Drives/Illia Chervonyashiy

The project "Expanding the professional potential of women in the field of transportation" is being implemented by the NGO Foundation for Institutional Development on the initiative of the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, in partnership with UN Women and under the financial support from the governments of France, Poland, and Sweden.