Norsalizayanti, sole breadwinner and single mother of two, is one of 129 female bus captains with Rapid Bus. — Photos: ONG SOON HIN/The Star
A career switch from being a flight attendant to a bus captain is almost unheard of.
However, when life throws challenges, some people are able to manage them well.
One such person is single mother, Norsalizayanti Sholekan, 45, who joined a bus company after facing problems in her previous flight attendant job.
At the Singapore-based bus company where she worked for seven years, she was a bus service attendant.
Then a chance sighting had her considering a different career.
“I was driving my children around one day and as I was waiting for the traffic light to turn green, I looked out of my window and saw a woman driving a Rapid KL Bus.
“It struck a chord and I wanted to try doing the same thing,” Norsalizayanti recalled.
With the help of friends, she researched how she could apply for the job.
“I was just drawn to the job and there was no looking back,” said Norsalizayanti, who has a Diploma in Accounting.
She then attended an interview for the position and was accepted.
But first, she had to go through four months of training at Rapid Academy in Cheras and with the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
The toughest lesson for her was learning to drive a lorry, to obtain the licence to drive a bus.
Norsalizayanti taking a break at the bus hub in between round trips.
“It was nerve-wrecking but I learnt it well with good guidance,” she said, adding that there were about seven women and 200 men in her batch of trainees.
“I first learned the routes in Cheras and Ampang,” said Norsalizayanti who lives in Taman Bakti in Ampang Jaya, Selangor.
She said she was also attracted to the salary package and benefits offered by Prasarana Malaysia, the parent company of Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd.
“My children’s medical care is taken care of and this is important to me as I am a single mother,” said Norsalizayanti who has two boys, aged 11 and 16 years.
The sole breadwinner also cares for her bedridden mother.
“When I joined Rapid Bus, my kids were aged one and six, and my marriage was in trouble.
“I am glad I had a stable job back then and that I could manage everything,” she said.
Norsalizayanti puts in long hours at work and is on duty five days a week.
She wakes up at 3am daily to take care of her ailing mother’s necessities, cook and clean the house before heading to work.
“I have good children. My eldest, upon getting home, will heat up the food and do the necessary for my mother and his younger brother,” she said.
Her bus route sometimes passes her children’s school and they would proudly wave at her whenever they saw her.
She added that many school students also travelled on Rapid Bus and she felt responsible for their safety.
Describing her job challenges, Norsalizayanti said passengers would sometimes scold her when the bus arrived late at a bus stop, without realising that the delay had been because of traffic congestion.
“The main challenge is the traffic jam.
“Driving a long vehicle requires skill and this comes with practice as well as support from co-workers,” said the determined bus captain.
She said being a female driver, she would often receive curious looks from passengers.
Although it is a tiring job, Norsalizayanti is grateful for the short breaks at the bus hub in between trips.
“We get about 10 to 20 minutes of break time which refreshes me, as I do between seven and 10 trips a day.
“However, if I am caught up in traffic, I forgo the breaks to avoid arriving late at bus stops,” she said.
There are closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras in the bus that are linked to the company headquarters, to provide added security for female drivers.
“I have been in the bus alone or with male passengers but I still feel safe as I know the situation is being monitored through the CCTV,” said Norsalizayanti, who welcomes more women to take up this uncommon career.
She dreams of a successful future for her children and for an opportunity for her to work in other Prasarana departments.
Rapid Bus has 129 female bus captains and 2,874 male captains in the country.
Meanwhile, another woman was also in the spotlight recently when she shared with Bernama her experience as a bus captain.Salfarina Muslim said operating heavy machinery was something she liked to do.
As such, working in a male-dominated line of Kuala Lumpur Rapid Bus captains did not pose a problem to her.
Even though her role meant that she has to spend a lot of time on the road, the former clerk said she will continue to provide the best service.
Salfarina, 41, who has been a Kuala Lumpur Rapid Bus captain for eight years, said her early days as a bus driver was a little scary initially, but it became better over time.
The mother of four children aged between one and 20 years, received a lot of encouragement and support from her family.
“At first, my mother was not convinced but she became reassured when I took her to experience a bus ride with me at the wheel,” said Salfarina.
On the challenges faced as a bus driver, she said she had been spat at, shouted at and experienced bottles thrown at her by passengers.
She said these negative points of the job had made her more patient.
“Today’s women are more open-minded, and they don’t give in easily either.
“If you are serious and committed, it can be done,” she said.
“Working as a bus captain is fun.
“I chose this career because of my interest, so I have to be ready for any possibility and risk.
“I just have to be calm always,” she said.
Salfarina added that she was grateful that she never faced gender discrimination.
