For 15 years Elizabeth Nomasonto Nkabathi of Phumula has been a bus driver, working for the Johannesburg Metrobus services. The long journey started in 2004.
Like any other female in the business, she faced difficulties when she first started, especially from the passengers.
She says, teasingly, her passengers would ask: “Where is Bra Joe today?”
As she reflects on the question, Nkabathi says she saw it as a cynical question to suggest that driving a bus was an occupation reserved for males.
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However, she is happy that she was offered training. Although she had a driver’s licence, she had never driven buses before.
“I was offered training by the company when I started. That was to be the one of the things I liked about the company. They did not care whether or not you’ve been a driver before, with years of experience. When you start working for them, you are taken for training,” says Nkabathi.
Nkabathi says she was taught different routes before she started taking trips on her own.
She also talked about the dedication shown by women drivers.
“As female drivers we are disciplined, dedicated and have determination.
“Whatever we do, we do it better than male drivers.
She said the company did not treat them differently to their male counterparts.
“I always looked forward to going to work as my passengers were now used to me. There are no salary differentials between us as female and male drivers,” says Nkabathi.
Nkabathi always looks forward to December as on this month they are often given gifts by passengers, ranging between tea and dinner sets to gift vouchers.
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She also talked about the challenges she encountered when she first started working as a bus driver, which included having to wake up as early as 2.30am to prepare for her morning shifts.
“Before I had my own car, I used to wake up as early as 2.30am to be ready to be picked up by the staff bus from home at 4.00am and having to arrive back home at around 7pm.
“It was tiring and sometimes I wasn’t able to cook for my family as I’d come back home tired.
“Now that I have my own car, all that has changed. I am able to spend quality time with my family,” says Nkabathi.
Nkabathi says bus driving is a wonderful occupation and would encourage girls to consider it as a career.
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