Chatham Area Transit recognizes a very special woman, Savannah’s first female bus operator, Jacqueline A. Hunter.

Jacqueline (Jackie) A. Hunter was born the oldest child of Harry Sr. and Mary Hunter, both of whom still reside in Savannah. She grew up in Savannah, GA, in the 50’s during the turbulent period of segregation and then integration. Women in general, and women of color especially, had limited access to professional employment opportunities during that time. They could dream of becoming teachers, perhaps, or nurses or secretaries. But this young girl found herself forging a different path. She became the first female to pass the fireman’s physical agility test in Savannah and then decided that she wanted to become a transit bus driver.

Hunter began employment with Savannah Transit Authority in early 1977, a decade before the STA became CAT and began serving the entire transit district of Chatham County. She was the first female driver in the history of the organization. Her assignment was called the “extra board,” which meant being available to drive a variety of routes, and she recalls the Abercorn route going back and forth to the Oglethorpe Mall and around the squares of downtown Savannah. She recalls, “Back then the buses did not have power steering, so when the bus had a full load of people, all the weight was on the steering wheel. I was a very small person then, so I would literally stand up to turn the steering wheel going around the squares! After a few months, it wasn’t a problem and everything became quite easy for me.”

Jackie also remembers her experience working in a 99.9% male workplace as excellent. She found her male counterparts to be very polite, very helpful, and protective of her. She has resided in Atlanta, GA, for the past 34 years, but she recalls her years of driving buses for the Savannah Transit Authority as one of the most rewarding and outstanding jobs she’s ever had.