It was 3pm one Thursday afternoon, and Rukaya Mohammed Lamptey had just returned from a trip to Ablekuma. She is engaged in a chit-chat with some male drivers as she waits for her turn to pick another set of passengers.

This hardworking lady became a commercial driver four years ago having spent some time under ‘apprenticeship’ as a driver’s mate. She does not have her own vehicle but takes over from her ‘Master’ whenever duty calls.

Although this has not been her career ambition, the mother of two says she has come to terms with the realities of life and is determined to go all length to cater for her family through the right path.

On the occasion of Mothers’ Day, the 27-year-old opened up on how she has been coping with the job and why she does not want her children to suffer similar fate.

Background

Rukaya speaks good English but could not complete basic education due to lack of financial support. She, therefore, turned to petty trading to make ends meet and had her first child at age 17.

“My mother did her best to take care of us but I dropped out of school in ‘Form One’ and started working. I started trading to support myself until I met a young man who became the father of my first son,” she told The Spectator.

Being the fourth of seven siblings, she took up other menial jobs including becoming a driver’s mate (bus conductor) but was not motivated to learn driving as she feared the many collisions some drivers were involved in.

After the first child, she met another young man who started teaching her how to drive but the lessons, she said, led to “dating and marriage.”

The union lasted eight years and they had to go their separate ways following a divorce eight months ago.

Driving

Rukaya said when times were getting tougher, she approached an experienced driver (Mr Smart Nkansah aka Nsawam) at the Odawna Bus terminal to help her perfect her driving skills so she could take up driving as a permanent occupation.

The kind driver, she said, agreed to take her through structured lessons until she was confident enough to start transporting passengers to their destinations.

“I was able to learn within four to five months and drive on my own without instruction. My new master has been a father figure who sometimes hands over the vehicle to me to drive when he is off duty,” she said, expressing appreciation for the support she had received over the years.

Reactions

On her daily trip from Circle to Ablekuma, she gets mixed reactions from commuters who board her vehicle. While some are happy to see a lady behind the steering wheel, other passengers, she said, doubted her ability to take them to their destination safely.

“Those who have ever boarded my vehicle defend me when some first-timers pass derogatory comments about me. 

“I used to feel offended and would sometimes think of quitting but my master tells me not to take things to heart if I, indeed, want to achieve something for myself.

“It takes determination and a brave heart to be on this job. A lot of people now know my car so they wait for me to pick them at the terminal when I am on duty,” she said.

In spite of the risk and the ‘friendly contest’ on the road with male drivers, the lively and industrious woman says she is impressed with the progress made and feels proud as a professional driver.

Challenges

Talking about earnings, she stated that income from the road trips remained inadequate for her and the children’s upkeep.

She said she had expended her personal savings on her children after the divorce, and sometimes spent the night in the vehicle.

“My master has given me a place but I am yet to put finishing touches to the place before I can move in.

“Every week, I spend quite significant amount on the upkeep of my mother and children. If I had my own car, things would have been a bit better,” she explained.

She plans to acquire her own commercial vehicle in the shortest possible time in addition to establishing a viable transport company in future, if she gets the needed support from people.

Advice

Not feeling dejected, Rukaya says she has learnt a lot of lessons and would want to further her education to the highest level, if she gets the chance.

She has advised young girls to be wary of the antics of some men and work hard, be independent and remain focused on their ambitions in life.

Good music and the love for her children, she says, have been her source of inspiration and she would continue to push hard until she sees light at the end of the tunnel.

By Ernest Nutsugah