Kerala expat fulfils her dream of becoming a bus driver
SHE’S THE FIRST WOMAN TO GET HEAVY VEHICLE LICENCE FROM HER INSTITUTE
More than a month after receiving her heavy vehicle driver’s licence in Dubai, Suja Thankachan — an expat from Kollam district in Kerala — was ecstatic when talking about her new role as a school bus driver. An employee of The Millenium School in Al Qusais, Suja said it had always been her dream to drive all kinds of vehicles.
“My uncle, he was my inspiration,” she told Gulf News.
“He [a driver by profession] would bring home whichever vehicle he was using. I loved seeing the cars and other vehicles parked outside our house. As a child, I loved to sit on the driver’s seat of the parked cars, waiting for the day I could actually drive,” she added.
When Thankachan was in the eighth grade, her uncle died in an accident while abroad. “He wasn’t driving that day,” she was quick to add.
Throughout her childhood, Thankachan reiterated, all she wanted was to learn was how to drive every kind of vehicle.
Coming to the UAE
Thankachan came to the UAE three and a half years ago in search of a job.
“Luckily, I got a job as a school bus conductor,” she said, adding that it was a job she liked and closer to her dream of becoming a driver.
After signing up for classes she found that the training wasn’t easy. It was her seventh attempt that turned out successful, taking her nine months from start to end. “I spent a total of Dh15,000 to get the licence,” said Thankachan who received her licence on September 30.
In the UAE, getting a driver’s licence requires registration with an approved driving institute to begin with. A failed test can result in additional expenses for retraining and the next exam.
First female student
The driving centre she trained at called her “the first female to take the heavy bus driving licence” and posted celebratory photos of her receiving the licence on their social media page.
The 32-year-old says her family members were her greatest supporters. Her parents were extremely happy for her, she said, as they knew it had been her dream all along.
However, she added, her crucial support system was her brother, Dominic Paul. A nurse in Dubai, he was Thankachan’s prime financial and moral supporter throughout the process.
The school where she works at, she added, had also supported her journey throughout and even moved around shifts so she could complete her training.
What next?
Thankachan started her school-regulated training for the new role in November. This mandatory training, required for all drivers at the school, will take a month. “Most of mine [mandatory training] is done as I have already undergone 90 per cent of it as a school bus conductor, now I am learning bus routes,” she said.
For now, the training is done on an empty bus and is focused on the daily routes. In December she will start ferrying students to and from the school officially.
Back in her country she only has a two-wheeler licence. “That’s changing next,” she said; a heavy vehicle driver’s licence in Kerala is her next goal.