The Golden Wheel award ceremony on Oct. 15 praised outstanding bus drivers, taxi drivers, government agency staff and crossing guard volunteers. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je praised the award winners, saying that, come rain or come shine, they are busy creating a good traffic environment in Taipei and making “the friendly city” a by-name for Taipei.
Fifty-year-old Chung Shing Bus bus driver Hsu Cheng-chi was all smiles as she happily received her award. She said that when she was little and saw bus drivers driving their awe-inspiring buses, she dreamed that she one day would be sitting in the driver’s seat. However, the minimum height required for obtaining a driver’s license was 160cm, so she had to give up on her dream and take a job in a general company.
About 10 years ago, the Taipei City Bus group was established. Anyone who could reach the clutch could apply for a job, and Hsu was finally able to sit in the driver’s seat. Her father, a truck driver for more than 30 years, told her that being a bus driver was hard and thankless work and that drivers had to deal with unreasonable passengers and other road users and that there could be a lot of malicious remarks within the profession. Still, she persisted in her dream, but her father’s warnings were proven right: she was often ridiculed, causing her to be dejected and downcast and she developed health problems and left the profession for a while.
Photo: Kuo I, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者郭逸
Hsu says that if you encounter problems, it is best not to answer back immediately, adding that “forbearance” is her motto for dealing with life. She says that the joy of driving a bus down the road and making her dream come true while caring for her passengers has expanded her life.
(Liberty Times, Kuo I, Translated by Perry Svensson)
金輪獎十月十五日頒獎,表揚優良公車駕駛、計程車駕駛、各機關優秀人員及導護志工,市長柯文哲稱讚獲獎者不畏雨淋日曬,為市民營造優良的交通環境,建立「友善城市」美名。
五十歲的中興巴士駕駛員許丞圻滿臉笑容欣喜領獎,她說,小時候看公車司機開車威風凜凜,她夢想有一天也要坐上駕駛座,但考照有身高一六○公分限制,讓她黯然打退堂鼓,當起一般公司小職員。
十多年前,北市聯營公車成立,只要能踩到離合器就能報考,讓許丞圻順利坐上夢寐以求的公車駕駛座,從事貨運司機卅多年的父親卻提醒她,公車司機吃力不討好,更得面對不講理的乘客、用路人,同業更可能惡言相向,但她堅持逐夢,父親的告誡也隨之印證,常遭冷嘲熱諷,讓她相當沮喪,身體健康也出狀況,短暫離開業界。
「遭遇困境,別直接回嘴、還手。」許丞圻說,她以「忍」面對生活,享受駕駛公車馳騁道路的快感,實現夢想並悉心對待乘客,生活更海闊天空。
(自由時報記者郭逸)
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