- The wooden
trams ofLisbon ,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
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.