Nuratira Nordin (pic), 25, a mother of four from Melaka, has been taking the wheel of the large vehicle as a co-driver alongside her husband who owns a bus rental business.

She successfully obtained a commercial bus driving licence when she was 22.

“Right after that, I started driving an express bus.

“Since my husband owns the business, I asked myself, ‘Why not become one of the drivers?’” she told mStar, Star Media Group’s Bahasa Malaysia news portal, in an interview.

Three years down the road, she is one happy trouper who is unfazed by unfavourable comments questioning her career choice and calling it “masculine”.

“There were even people who were afraid to board the bus when I was the driver. They said the driver must be a man!

“Some told me I should just stay at home and take care of my kids instead of driving a bus, ” said Nuratira.

She, however, was not driven to quit by those remarks but took them positively.

Nuratira also said other women see her as a role model.

“A few women have texted me saying that they are interested in driving a bus but are apprehensive about the job.

“To me, during the current economic downturn, any job works if it helps you to survive the hard times – even driving a bus, ” she said.

Recently, her husband Muhammad Hafis Ismail, 31, shared a video of her driving a bus on the popular short video platform TikTok, which went on to capture much attention among users.