MyCiTi bus driver, Shafiek Stemmet says he enjoys every minute of his time behind the steering wheel.
Mr Stemmet, 47, has been working for the MyCiTi service since 2010.
“What I love the most about being a driver for MyCiTi is the short hours, you can work your own schedule out – you can plan your day-to-day things and I love the excellent service they give to the people,” he says.
“MyCiTi buses are quick, reliable and efficient.”
His daily routes are from Cape Town to Atlantis and he works different shifts but the one he enjoys the most is the afternoon shift, because, he says, he enjoys driving people home.
Mr Stemmet was born in Claremont in 1973 but along with his mother and four siblings they moved to Atlantis in the same year that his father, who was a postman, died.
“My mother got a job at a factory remarried, and had another child,” he said.
“Growing up in Atlantis was a nice time for me, we would play in the bushes. I remember a time when I almost died, while they were still building the houses in Atlantis, I almost fell into a big hole and got covered in sand,” he said.
Mr Stemmet said the family then moved to Mitchell’s Plain but they fell on hard times and he eventually dropped out of school to look for work.
His dream job back then was to work at a nature reserve.
“I’ve always loved nature, I wanted to work with the animals and wild plants,” he said.
Mr Stemmet’s first job ended up being as a lorry guide, loading and off loading goods from the truck.
“I did it for 10 years,” he said.
He then worked as a security guard, got a driver’s licence and got a job at the traffic department as a driving instructor, which he did for eight years.
After that his journey took him to work for Translux and City to City bus for a couple of years as well as the Golden Arrow Bus Service until he was employed by MyCiTi in 2010.
Mr Stemmet hopes to become a regulator in his current job.
A regulator is the one who is in charge of overseeing commuters’ needs at the station.
Mr Stemmet said he loves getting feedback from his customers on the bus, especially when they say they had a great experience.