Women in London’s transport

In the early days of London’s public transport women did not have equal rights with men. In the nineteenth century women could not be awarded degrees, vote in parliamentary elections, or control their own money once they were married. Opportunities for work were limited and low paid. Women worked in domestic service, shops, laundries and factories, in clerical roles and in the home. They were barred from many positions, including most transport roles.  

As well as conductors, women were employed by the LGOC for a range of duties at garages and engineering works, on general maintenance of the buses and cleaning. Many women conductors had previously worked in shops or in domestic service, with worse pay and less personal freedom. ‘Conductorettes’, as they were sometimes known, were a prominent part of the war effort, and while they were respected by many, they could also be the subject of ridicule. 

Working men were concerned their wages would be undercut by women joining the workforce, fearing their own pay would be driven down. Trade unionists resolved to support equal pay for female workers but capped at the starting rate. In 1918 men were given a 5 shilling war bonus, but it was not offered to women. Women tram conductors in Willesden went on strike in August 1918 for equal pay. The strikes quickly spread across London’s tram and bus workers, and by 30 August the Government awarded the full backdated war bonus increase to the women and extended the increase to munitions workers. These strikes were the first recorded successful equal pay strikes.  

At the end of the war, women were expected to give back their roles to men returning from the armed forces. They were issued with commemorative certificates and photographs to mark their service. Leaving their roles meant surrendering better wages and, in many cases, better working conditions.   

Ellen Bulfield finished working as a conductor almost a year after the war. In December 1919, the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act gave women the right to work in some professions, including as barristers and solicitors. However, there was no sense that women would ever carry out operational roles in transport again. 

After the First World War, women continued to work in non-operational transport roles. Telephonists were confined to the exchange and heavily supervised, which was seen as appropriate for women. Other roles included ‘punch girls’, whose job was to count the circles punched from verified tickets, to make sure the money submitted by conductors matched the number of tickets sold.  

Outside of transport women were making progress in other fields, including art and design. Between the wars design figures like Dora Batty, Enid Marx and sisters Anna and Doris Zinkeisen established themselves and developed influential styles and careers – including transport commissions. Dora Batty produced over 45 posters for the Underground in the 1920s and 1930s. 

When the Second World War began in 1939, women again readily took up numerous roles in London Transport that desperately needed fulfilling. It became a common sight to see women working on the buses, trains and trams, as well as in stations, garages and depots. Women undertook heavy industrial work for LT, including building planes.  

When men and women were both allowed to perform the same role, women were only entitled to apply if they met certain criteria, and even then they did not receive equal pay. ‘Seeing it through’ was a series of posters commissioned by London Transport in 1944 to commemorate the everyday acts of heroism made by civilian workers during the Second World War, several of which featured women workers.  

Staff shortages led London Transport to run large recruitment campaigns after the Second World War, including campaigns targeting women. There were still bars to certain roles and women were forbidden from becoming drivers.  

London Transport began recruiting directly from the Caribbean in 1956, which included recruiting a handful of women. However, by 1967 it was reported by the West Indian Standing Conference that no Black applicants had been promoted to the role of inspector. Black women faced sexism and racism: intersecting structures of oppression. Canteens were one area where women, especially Black women, could progress.  

In offices secretarial and professional services roles were often performed by white women. Women were often expected to leave their jobs when they married, though not everyone did. Women like Gladys Long, Norah Kelly and Kathleen Piggott (née Kelly) were recognised for their long careers with medals and honours. Dealing with the day-to-day of office life meant many of these women had roles shaping and influencing decisions but were held back. Computing roles were also led by women in the early days, when digital roles were considered low status. 

In 1968, MP Barbara Castle became the UK’s first Secretary of State for Transport. Later that year, 850 women working at the Ford factory in Dagenham went on strike for equal pay. Their work as machinists was classed as ‘unskilled’, a label seemingly used to justify them being paid less than male colleagues. Like the women who went on strike in 1918, the Ford women won.  

After their successful strike, the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1970 and took effect in 1975. The Labour government also brought in the Sex Discrimination Act in that year. These legal changes promised equal pay between men and women for equal work and opened up a host of transport employment opportunities formerly closed to women.  

In 1974 LT finally allowed women drivers, before the Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act came into force in 1975. Women were soon undergoing training as bus and Tube train drivers.  

Those giving training needed to find new ways to support the first small groups of women trainees, putting new measures and systems in place for them. Some trainees and staff weren’t happy with women undertaking these roles. There were instances of abuse, harassment and insults throughout training and elsewhere in the workplace. Low numbers of women drivers remained, despite advertising campaigns. 

In 1974, Jill Viner was the first woman to drive a bus in operation, a job she had wanted since she had been 8 years old. Press attention caught bosses off guard when Viner drove her first passenger bus from the depot, but they were ready when Hannah Dadds became the first women train operator in 1978, managing a press call and photoshoot.

Hannah and her sister Edna operated a train together as driver and guard, becoming the first all-female team to do so.

In 1979 Susan Atyeo became the first woman signal operator on the Underground. Christine Oliver was London Transport’s first trained craftswoman, in 1981. Helen Clifford was the first woman bus mechanic in 1984. In 1992 Joan Saunders-Reece became the Victoria Line’s first female Automatic Train Operator.

While remembering these women and their achievements, it’s important to also consider the systemic sexism that meant this happened so late in the development of London’s public transport. 

Depot Discoveries: Women’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

New organisations have formed to support and advocate for women in transport, including a TfL Staff Network Group. Like many of these groups, at London Transport Museum we are working towards better representation of the history of women in transport, and more recognition of the role of trans women and non-binary people in the transport workforce.