يَوْمٌ مَعَ سَائِقِ الْحَافِلَةِ

مُحَمَّد مَنْصُور سَائِقُ حَافِلَةٍ فِي أَبُوظَبِي. عُمْرُهُ ثَلَاثٌ وَأَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً، وَهُوَ مِنْ بَنْغْلَادِيشَ. وَهُوَ يَعْمَلُ سَائِقَ حَافِلَةٍ مُنْذُ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً. يَبْدَأُ يَوْمُهُ فِي السَّاعَةِ الْخَامِسَةِ صَبَاحًا. أَوَّلًا، يَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبِ، وَيَعْرِفُ طَرِيقَ الْيَوْمِ. وَيَتَكَلَّمُ قَلِيلًا مَعَ مُدِيرِهِ. ثُمَّ يُجَهِّزُ الْحَافِلَةَ الزَّرْقَاءَ الْكَبِيرَةَ. وَيَتَأَكَّدُ أَنَّهَا نَظِيفَةٌ مِنَ الدَّاخِلِ وَالْخَارِجِ. وَيَمْلَأُ عَامِلٌ الْحَافِلَةَ بِالْوَقُودِ. فِي الصَّبَاحِ، يَرْكَبُ النَّاسُ الْحَافِلَةَ إِلَى الْعَمَلِ. عِنْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ رُكَّابٌ كَثِيرُونَ يَعْرِفُهُمْ. يَقُولُ: إِذَا غَيَّرْتُ الطَّرِيقَ، يَسْأَلُونَ عَنِّي. وَهَذَا شُعُورٌ جَمِيلٌ. وَيَقُولُ: أُحِبُّ الْقِيَادَةَ فِي أَبُوظَبِي، لِأَنَّ الزِّحَامَ قَلِيلٌ. يَنْتَهِي عَمَلُهُ فِي السَّاعَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ. وَفِي الْعَمَلِ سَاعَةٌ لِلرَّاحَةِ وَالْأَكْلِ. وَيَشْرَبُ السَّائِقُونَ الشَّايَ مَعًا، وَيَتَكَلَّمُونَ. يَقُولُ مُحَمَّدٌ: هُمْ عَائِلَتِي بَعِيدًا عَنِ الْبَيْتِ. فَازَ مُحَمَّدٌ بِجَائِزَةِ أَفْضَلِ سَائِقٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ. وَهُوَ يُرِيدُ أَنْ تَعِيشَ زَوْجَتُهُ وَبِنْتَاهُ مَعَهُ فِي الْإِمَارَاتِ. يَقُولُ: إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، قَرِيبًا.

Mohammed Mansur is a bus driver in Abu Dhabi. He is forty-three years old, and he is from Bangladesh. And he has worked as a bus driver for fifteen years. His day starts at five in the morning. First, he goes to the office, and he finds out the day’s route. And he talks a little with his manager. Then he gets the big blue bus ready. And he makes sure it is clean inside and out. And a worker fills the bus with fuel. In the morning, people take the bus to work. Mohammed has many passengers that he knows. He says: if I change my route, they ask about me. And this is a nice feeling. And he says: I love driving in Abu Dhabi, because there is little traffic. His work ends at two in the afternoon. And in the working day there is an hour for rest and food. And the drivers drink tea together, and they talk. Mohammed says: they are my family away from home. Mohammed won the best driver award twice. And he wants his wife and his two daughters to live with him in the Emirates. He says: God wil