In 1973, Martha Garza was raising four children as a single mother, and she needed a good job, so she started driving a bus for San Jose City Lines.  She was the first woman bus operator in Santa Clara County.  City Lines eventually became the Santa Clara County Transit District, and then the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Through it all, Martha Garza paved the way for other women to take on what was previously, as her son calls it, “a man’s world.”

“She had a hard time with male co-workers,” said Ray Rodriguez, who started as a bus driver at VTA in 1986, and now works as a Transportation Supervisor. “It was very, very tough being the only woman driver,” Ray said. “But she was tough, you had to be to defend yourself. It was a different world back then.”

Martha never let harassment from her co-workers early on deter her from the job.  She loved driving and loved the contact with the public. “I’d see her going down El Camino and wave to her from my bus,” said Ray, clearly proud that his mom was a trailblazer.

“Everyone loved her,” said Ray, she was very vocal, had a strong personality and a thick skin, he said.

Martha drove many different routes for VTA, and over the 26 years she drove she saw some major changes in the job.  When she started with San Jose City Lines in ’73, there were 7 bus routes and 54 buses.  By the time she retired in 1996, VTA had a dozens  more bus routes and a light rail system. And many more women on the job.

Martha passed away about 4 years ago.  She left a legacy, not only with her service, but with her family. Her son Ray is going on 37 years with VTA.

Linda Gortner was the first woman to drive a light rail train in 1987. 

Austin Jenkins, who now works as a Senior Operations Advisor after having retired from VTA in 2004, remembers Linda as "one of liveliest balls of fire ever born" and said she was loved for her feistiness.

"She operated that train like she owned it, too,” said Jenkins.  He still keeps a historic photo of Linda in her train.

This month, Women's History Month, we pay tribute to VTA’s first women operators – Martha Garza and Linda Gortner.