There is literally nothing that can stop women from exploring different fields in their career just like men. For so long, driving heavy four-wheelers like trucks and buses were meant only for men as it is a tiring job which demands patience to navigate between cities for the whole day or sometimes even more than that.
However, a 24-year-old girl by the name of Pratiksha Das proved it wrong by breaking stereotypes to become Mumbai’s first female bus driver. Now let’s take a moment to appreciate her. She is probably the only woman in the big city, who can shutter her way deftly on a BEST public bus.
As per a TOI report, the 24-year-old Das did her Bachelors in mechanical engineering from Thakur College in Malad.
Expressing her love for driving heavy vehicles she said, “It is something I’ve wanted to master for the last six years. But my love for heavy vehicles is not new. I started off with bikes, then larger cars and now, I can drive buses and trucks. And yes it feels good.”
Driving around a six-tonne heavy bus around the city gives her a great sense of accomplishment.
“After completing my engineering degree, I was planning to become an RTO officer. For that, I needed a license in heavy vehicles as it is compulsory. Since I had wanted to learn to drive a bus, it was perfect.”
“In fact, I want to drive various vehicles on the road. I started with my mama’s bike when I was in 8th grade in my village. Even he was surprised, how I learned driving within 2 days,” she said in her interview with Times Of India.
In a recent interview, Pratiksha spoke about her first training session with BEST drivers who doubted her skill. She spoke about people throwing infamous remarks like.’Yeh ladki Chala Paaygi Ke Nahi?’, to some mocking her height saying she was too short to drive a bus.
Talking about the challenges she faced in her life, she said, “People use to stop and turn when they saw a young woman behind the staring wheel. Keeping my focus clear, I ignored the stares.”
“I dreamt and here I am. In fact, anyone can achieve their goals, they just have to set their minds to it,” she said.
She is looking forward to ‘a bike trip to Ladakh‘, she said, “It’s every biker’s delight to ride that route. It’ a mixed group and guess what, a lady is going to lead the gang!”