What it's like in the driver seat of Lisbon's iconic, century-old wooden trams
- The wooden trams of Lisbon, Portugal, are an iconic sight in the European capital.
- Tram operators do everything by hand — including dumping sand on the road for better grip and manually switching the train tracks.
- We shadowed a tram driver to see how these beloved transportation workers are getting people around during a pandemic.
What does it take to drive the landmark of a city? Hand cranks, buttons, and precise coordination.
Lisbon's classic trams blend technology and old-fashioned engineering that dates back over a century. And steering them through narrow streets and dealing with the occasional obstacle is not an easy task.
Ana Cristina Oliveira was one of the first women to be hired as a tram driver.
"At first, people were surprised, because they never saw a woman doing this," Oliveira told Business Insider Weekly. "But then they liked it, because women are more attentive."
For the past 22 years, she's spent thousands of hours navigating the city's streets. But this year, her cockpit is looking a little different, with protective screens separating her from customers.
"Now with the pandemic, the car is always disinfected, all passengers must wear masks, and there is a protective plastic film to separate us from the passengers," she said. "If we need to sell tickets, we hand them down below. People give me the money, I give them the ticket, and we move on."
Driving a tram isn't like getting behind the wheel of a car or a bus. The dashboard is filled with signals, brakes, a radio, and even a button that drops a load of sand on the street below if the train needs a better grip.
Another thing that needs to be done by hand? Changing direction. On some routes, drivers must get out of the tram and physically switch the tracks.