Baljinder Kaur always wanted to drive a bus. And here, in Sydney, she has fulfilled that dream
Baljinder Kaur has always been passionate about driving, whether on her farm in Amritsar, Punjab, where she would zip around on a tractor, or here in Sydney where she is a professional bus driver. Possibly among the few Indian women who have chosen to be professional drivers.
Having spent her childhood in a village in Amritsar, Baljinder grew up in a farm house, surrounded by vast fields. “I I used to ride my bicycle a lot and from there I developed a liking for driving. Then I graduated to using my father and brothers scooters,” says Baljinder.
“In the fields, most of the work is done by tractors, so I used to drive a tractor around. I think driving a tractor is the simplest of all, as except steering you don’t have to worry much,” she quips.
After her graduation, Baljinder moved to Sydney for her Masters in IT. She completed her degree and after few years got married. It was a routine life for few years. Driving from home to office and back, but life changed when she got pregnant. She wasn’t able to drive because of her nausea and started using public transport.
“That’s when I came across a number of women drivers, so that got me thinking about driving a bus,” she says.
“Once, when I went to my husband’s workplace, I met a woman in her late 40s driving a multi-combination. I was very impressed. I made up my mind to take up driving professionally and got my Heavy Rigid license,” says Baljinder, who started work as a bus driver in 2014.
“My family is very supportive and even my children are excited about my job,” says Baljinder.
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