‘What does gender have to do with it?’ Passionate about driving, Maryam Fayaz was determined to join her husband on the road. Her persistence paid off. Here’s her story in her own words.
I always wanted to have a profession that no other women in my surrounding circle had ever done. I always wanted to be a famous woman.
Gender has nothing to do with one’s skillset and ability. Both men and women can do any job, both can get behind the wheel. Everyone has a certain capability. They just have to discover it.
Growing up, all my toys were some kind of vehicle, “boy toys” as they say. When I got a bit older, I would beg my dad to let me drive. But becoming a professional driver was not really on the table.
Then I met my husband, who was also really into cars. He got his bus driving licence within a month or two of our marriage. That motivated me to go and do the same.
He did warn me that being a bus driver can be challenging. But that didn’t dissuade me.
At first, I sought to become a taxi driver. But the taxi association told me that they don’t have any woman taxi drivers. They said, “it’s impossible to be a woman taxi driver”. I told them that “anything impossible can become possible”. I eventually managed to start working in a taxi agency for school children under the auspices of a taxi organisation.
But I kept telling my husband that I want to get my bus licence and join him on the road. Many journeys require two drivers.
I can dare to say that I was the first Iranian woman to get my heavy-duty vehicle licence. It wasn’t easy. They would say to me, “why do you want a heavy-duty vehicle licence?” I always gave them the same response, “because I’m passionate about this profession”.
After two years, I finally started working alongside my husband. But it was quite a culture shock for other road users. They had never seen a woman bus driver. They would say a lot of negative, disheartening things. But I would just ignore them. In one ear, out the other.
