Abdelghani Ballout - Marrakesh
Lamia Benchkroun begins her work on a double-decker tourist bus in Marrakesh, and she monitors the equipment of the cockpit with apparent firmness, as well as first look at the mirror.
As the first customers board the bus, her face shines with a smile and welcomes them with greetings, on a beautiful January morning.
"No one denies that the profession of driving buses is difficult even for men, but I chose it convincingly and practiced it with passion," she says to Al-Jazeera Net, adjusting her session before setting off on her first trips through the city's historical monuments.
| Lamia is the first driver of a tourist bus and worked five years to achieve her goal (Al-Jazeera) |
The first lady to choose to drive buses
Lamia Benchkroun is the first woman to choose the bus driving profession within the city of Marrakech. She graduated from work within five years between urban transport lines for a short period, then the city center line - the international airport, before settling in the tourist transport business.
Felipe Santa Marta Prieto, Senior Director of the Bus Transportation Company in Marrakech, says that the number of drivers in the city in all types of bus transport reaches more than five hundred drivers, among whom are only a few women.
He added, "As for tourism transport, there are two women, including Lamia, along with four men, while we seek to encourage other girls to pursue the profession."
| Felipe santa marta: we seek to encourage other girls to pursue the profession of driving (the island) |
The beginning of the story
At every stop of the bus, the movements of tourists increase between a rookie greeting Lamia Boud, and a guest who thanks her with respect, while she starts again and drives smoothly.
This lady - who grew up in the midst of my people in the old city - tells that seeing her is a woman driving a bus that inspired her and impressed her before she decided to take the same adventure in Marrakech.
She added that after obtaining her driver's license, she went to the road station, where there are buses to transport between cities, but no one wanted to run it as a woman.
Her persistence made her knock on the door after another, armed with her determination and her desire to quickly learn a career that is reserved for men.
| Tourists on the second floor of the tourist bus that Lamia leads on the city's streets (Al Jazeera) |
The first working day
As the tall Koutoubia mosque silo looms with its historical symbolism, Lamia begins providing explanations to tourists about this beautiful archaeological landmark.
Philip says Lamia and her peers are working diligently to give new value to the city's transportation service. Stressing that "with her careful work and human touch, she presents the serious model, with a beautiful image of a tourist city visited by hundreds of thousands every month.
And Lamia remembered her first working day on the urban bus, where she was feeling an overwhelming joy, which was matched by a clear surprise mixed with admiration and encouragement from the passengers.
| Young woman Zahira Soufi is a driving instructor and colleague Lamia, along with young drivers inside the training center (Al-Jazeera) |
Smile and respect
Lamia follows her path and the grandfather signs are visible on her as she monitors the traffic, and allows the two men to pass and indicates a friend to her friend on a bus coming from the opposite direction.
Her smile distinguishes her throughout the working day, and is highly respected by her colleagues who give her a lot of help and guidance in a tiring work.
She is helped by her fluency in speech and a pleasant mood, such as that of the people of the Red City, as her co-worker Zahira Sufi notes.
She likened her to the Moroccan bus driver, who was chosen as the best bus driver in London, due to the gentleness of manners and good handling of passengers.
| Zahira Soufi: Lamia is my role model at work, she chose to remain the steering wheel friend, and I chose the profession of training (Al-Jazeera) |
Between driving and training
In the far corner of the urban transport garage, Zahira trains a number of young drivers and helps them enter a career that requires a lot of perseverance, skin and focus.
"Lamia had been my role model at work, I used to work in the morning and work in the evening, but she chose, with love and passion, to remain the steering wheel friend, and I chose a gradual career path towards the job of a driving instructor."
Lamia says that every profession has difficulty and troubles, but "as soon as I put my first leg on the bus at the beginning of each morning I forget" my daily worries "and enter a" new world "with all its beauty and all its challenges.
Driver's meal and mother's robes
After a long work day, Lamia rushes to her home to meet her only three-year-old daughter, takes off the driver's robe to re-wear the affectionate mother's robes in an intimate family atmosphere.
She adds, "We separate in the morning in front of her school, to meet again after work, to tell about our day, about our ambition and dreams in special and special" women "hadiths.
Lamia says she is comfortable with her work, which leaves her to take care of her baby girl, and she advises other girls to pursue this tiring and fun profession at the same time.