Having
been involved in a motor accident, she developed a sudden phobia for
riding in a vehicle. Interestingly, to exorcise that phobia, she decided
to enrol in a driving school to learn the rudiments of driving.
“My
phobia for rides in vehicles just fizzled out after sitting behind the
wheels to experience how a car really operates on the road. It was
surreal and full of fun too,” Ms Esenam Nyador, who is now a
professional driver in a male-dominated profession, said.
Known
as Miss Taxi, Ms Nyador now drives across the length and breadth of the
country with her clients, among which are diplomats, tourists and
families. She drives to Cape Coast, Hohoe, Tamale, Paga, among others,
with her clients.
“I don’t only drive around the city; sometimes
I’m engaged by clients to drive them to places of interest, meetings,
conferences and group tours. I provide airport and hotel pick-ups as
well. With group tours, if the numbers are big, I rent a solid car to
drive them to their destinations, since mine is just a taxi cab,” she
disclosed.
Challenges
Touching on some of her challenges,
Ms Nyador lamented the fact that most of the driver’s unions rejected
her request to join their unions to enable her to do her job
effectively.
“For them, driving is not a profession for women
and, therefore, they couldn’t understand why I would leave all the
perceived women-related jobs for driving. So they all kicked against my
request,” she said.
After her disappointment with the unions, she
decided to hang around the shopping malls in Accra. Over there too, her
male counterparts did not want her around them, with the explanation
that she would snatch all their customers. However, she never gave up.
“I
decided to hang around and later begged them to give me back passes of
the passengers whose offers they rejected. It was one of those offers I
had which launched me successfully into the driving business.
“The
client offered to pay GH¢8 from the Accra Mall to Ridge but the other
drivers refused the offer because it was small. I accepted to take it
and the client was awe-stricken to see a lady behind the wheels. He,
therefore, decided to pay me GH¢10 instead of GH¢8 and asked for my
contact,” she said while laughing heartily.
According to her,
unknowingly, that particular client was working with one of the High
Commissions and he gave out her contacts to his colleagues and friends
who needed cab services.
“With that, my clientele profile changed drastically, by His grace,” she added.
Lessons as a driver
According to Ms Nyador, “we all have our moments out there on the road when we just cannot take anymore.
But
a true professional driver leaves his or her ego at home. They do not
try to teach people a lesson. They do not try to let somebody know when
they have done something wrong by tailgating, honking or blocking the
flow of traffic”.
She explained that when somebody cut off a
professional driver, the professional simply slowed down to increase
his/her following distance without getting angry.
“When somebody
races down a lane that is going to merge, a professional will let that
person in, even if he or she does not ‘deserve’ to be let in.
“When
somebody is driving too slow, a professional keeps his or her distance
and never tailgates. When a professional is the one being tailgated,
he/she simply goes about his or her business or even assists in allowing
the tailgater to pass.
“The driver is a high achiever – a mover
and shaker who is definitely not averse to risk. The individual is
extroverted, strong-willed, direct, practical, organised, forceful and
decisive,” she added.
Ms Nyador, who described her cab as her
office, said she ensured that it was always washed, vacuum-cleaned, with
the seats and dashboard looking spick and span.
Indeed, this
reporter had the privilege to inspect both the interior and the exterior
of the cab and it was just good to attract a client.
Other passions
Ms
Nyador is a woman of many parts. In 2001, she benefited from a training
workshop organised by AMEX International, with funding from USAID.
Shortly after the first workshop, she began working with a roadside
friend to weave rope baskets and trays. She also did batiks and opened a
shop near the Labone Coffee Shop in Accra called Antiks Batik. Some of
her gift items were sold in several hotel gift shops and some of the
tourist retail shops.
Education/family
I am sure you might
be wondering if Ms Nyador ever stepped into the classroom, since, in
our part of the world, we perceive driving as a career for school
dropouts.
Yes, she is highly educated. In fact, she holds a First
Class (Honours) in Social Work with Psychology from the University of
Ghana, Legon.
She is currently pursuing an advanced postgraduate
research degree (MPhil) in Family Resources Management at the same
university.
Asked if her mates knew she was a taxi driver, she said they all knew she was a cab driver, including her lecturers.
“I drive my cab to school and park for lectures. Afterwards, I get some clients and go about my business,” she said proudly.
Ms
Nyador, who comes from the Volta Region, was thankful to her mum who
had always been a shield and took care of her two boys while she
combined her driving duties with her education.
Her dream is to
establish a driving school, buy more cabs and recruit only female
drivers while she pursues a doctorate degree to enable her to venture
into lecturing of students.
“Always know that a courteous driver brings you to your destination in a comfortable, safe and timely manner,” she noted.
No job is for men only
It
is a turf many assume can be survived by men only but the ever-smiling,
always smartly turned-out Esther Pomaa holds a different view about
taxi driving and that is why she has been at it over the last nine years
in Koforidua, the capital and commercial hub of the Eastern Region.
To
the 51-year-old mother of three, what the job really requires is hard
work, a clear sense of purpose and passion to succeed rather than merely
being male or female.
She firmly believes no job under the sun is reserved for men. “My experience tells me that taxi driving is not for lazy people.
If
you take it as your profession and mean to do it well, then you have to
be brave and disciplined. It pays off well if you manage your affairs
properly,” Esther Pomaa said in a chat with The Mirror at Effiduase,
near Koforidua.
She started off driving someone else’s taxi but
has managed to buy two of her own and does not regret turning to that
profession after her husband passed away in 2004.
Born at
Koforidua to a father who hailed from Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region
and a mother from Akuapem Larteh, Esther Pomaa, in early years admired
the world of drivers and was not surprised she married one. She herself
learnt to drive at the age of 18.
Her husband drove a truck that
ferried goods between the northern and southern parts of the country.
She took advantage of that and traded in a variety of items including
meat and yams.
Some road accidents made her lose her capital for
trading and she even got into debt. Esther decided she had had enough of
that life and when her husband died, she took to taxi driving to make
ends meet. “I relate well to the male taxi drivers in the municipality.
They
don’t bother me. They joke with me. They call me their wife and I call
them my boyfriends. They are even protective of me because at times when
I decide to work late into the night, they all tell me to be careful
and not stay too late.”
She, however, says they being nice to her did not take away her right to assert herself whenever necessary.
“If
they shout at you on the road, you shout back and carry on. You don’t
need to harbour any ill feelings against colleagues because they are the
people you deal with everyday.”
According to Esther Pomaa, she
gets hired regularly to drive people to places like Nkawkaw, Tafo and
Somanya in the Eastern Region as well as to Accra, Kumasi and Sunyani.
“Being
a commercial driver is a hard job. Sitting behind the steering wheel
for hours at a time is difficult but it puts food on the table.
You become independent and for me as a woman, that ensures self-pride,” she noted.
She has been interviewed several times on radio in the municipality on how more women could enter the taxi driving arena.
The advice she constantly gives is that the job is not for those who love to just dress up and roam.
“It
does not matter whether you are a man or a woman. You have to get your
priorities right and love what you do. You have to put all your heart
into it in order to make a meaningful headway,” Esther Pomaa advised. |
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