"I started driving tractors and other large vehicles from early age at my father's farm. I then became a driving instructor for B and C class. When i first received my B class license, it wasn't enough, so went for C, and later for D, the one that allows you to drive a bus. To put it simply, driving a bus was always my ultimate profession" says Vesna Najdovska who just recently received a silver medal in a European competition for 'bus driving skills' held in Bulgaria. Althought Vesna did not receive the gold, she was the only woman in the competition, beating 120 male bus drivers from 30 European capitals.
Vesna has been employed by Skopje's public transit authority JSP for 6 years. JSP's previous director Krste Veljanovski refused to hire Vesna fearing she wouldn't make it in the profession. The current director Misho Nikolov offered Vesna a chance. She took it and never looked back.
"There are stereotypes women are bad drivers, I believe with my competition in Bulgaria, I proved this is not the case" says Vesna. "When I first submitted my application for the European competition, the organizers believed it was a mistake and contacted us. I went there with JSP's director Misho Nikolov", says Vesna.
According to the organizers, Vesna was very much a 'celebrity' at the competition, not just because she was the only female, but because she went all the way to the final.
Skopje Life
Driving for the public transit authority can have its challenges. Vesna has encountered numerous, from rowdy students who don't watch their language. Recently a group of youths entered without paying for a ticket. She stopped the bus until all of them got out. They voiced their displeasure by kicking the bus.
"No worries", says Vesna. "This things will happen, it's part of the job".
Vesna's biggest fans are her three kids and husband who have supported her from the beginning.
Skopje had its first ever female bus driver back in 1984. At the time, there were no female bus drivers in SE Europe. Today, there are four ladies driving brand new buses the capital recently purchased from the Ukraine. The JSP as well as Vesna ask all women who love to drive buses to apply for jobs.
