FOR Loraine Fernandes, it is quite challenging being a female taxi driver; a job dominated by men, but she is not made of only sugar and spice – she has sass and possesses a very competitive edge.

This 49-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she has what it takes to compete with men in her field as taxi drivers who ply the New Amsterdam, Berbice to Georgetown route on a daily basis.

Fernandes is a widow and a mother of two, who makes two trips daily and ‘hustles’ passengers just as much as every other taxi driver at the car park in downtown Georgetown.

Challenging
As an early riser, she is usually on her way to Georgetown from her Stanleytown, Berbice home by 06:00hrs.

Fernandes said that it is a very challenging job to contend with, especially against the men, but she is serious about making an honest dollar as a taxi driver.

Oftentimes she has no choice but to cloak herself with an aggressive persona to compete side by side with her male counterparts, in order to persuade passengers to travel with her to Berbice.

“I cope fairly alright, but it is very challenging, since men are more aggressive and they do not like when you beat them at their own game, so to speak, since it is a hustle,” she said.

Fernandes’s journey as a taxi driver began four years ago when the man who used to drive her car damaged it and parked it under her house.

She noted too, that she was not earning any money and at that point decided to avoid the bad experiences with other people who may again misuse her property and do it herself; thus, she became a taxi driver.

Fernandes mentioned too, that after the death of her husband, a prominent attorney-at-law, she realised that she had lots of available time on her hands, hence the decision to become a taxi driver was one way of doing something to occupy some of the idle time.

Livens up the task
Even though it is not a job most women would opt to take, she told the Pepperpot Magazine that she took on the task readily and she has had some fun along the way.

Fernandes explained that during trips, she would meet different people and would often engage them in conversation, and by doing that, it livens up the task and she has learned so much by just talking to them.

She said she likes the job, as it allows her to learn a lot and become more ‘street wise.’ Additionally, she said that being around male taxi drivers allows her to be well-respected. She added that the job is all about being patient while waiting for passengers to embark on her journey.

Drivers
Fernandes told this newspaper that there are more than 50 drivers who ply the Georgetown to New Amsterdam route on a daily basis and she has to “fit in” to earn.

In addition, there are about 75 to 100 bus and car drivers in total working the Georgetown, West Coast Berbice, New Amsterdam and Corentyne routes.

Fernandes also has a son who is a bus driver and who plies the same route, but does not feel intimidated in any way despite this.

Sometimes, she is on call from her clients, but noted that she doesn’t do any night drops, unless it is an emergency. Like other taxi drivers, Fernandes said that she would also accept airport trips from the Berbice area.

However, due to having regular household chores to execute at home, including cooking, Fernandes said she ensures that she is always home before its get dark.

Beaming with pride as she underscored her liking for being behind the wheel for most of the day, the mother of two said: “My job keeps me fully occupied and over the years, I have become quite comfortable … I really like being a female taxi driver since I am also earning,” she said.