Not Rosie the Riveter: Women's Diverse Roles in the Making of the American Long-Distance Bus Industry

Until relatively recently women were 'hidden from history'. ¹ Women's role in transport history is no exception. Women were nearly invisible other than as emergency wartime workers. The image of 'Rosie the Riveter' is buried deep in American history as that of the heroic female worker meeting the nation's needs in time of peril. In the long-distance bus industry in the USA women played a substantial part in keeping the buses moving. Yet in saying this there is a need not to ignore, neglect or undervalue their contributions to the bus industry in peacetime. Women have been involved in bus transport from its onset and their involvement has increased in recent years. This chapter suggests new ways of considering a male-dominated business.