Passengers riding the #10 trolleybus in Yerevan have long gotten used to the fact that a woman might be behind the wheel.

Many Yerevan commuters even look out for Emma (Elmira) Manyan, the only female trolleybus driver in Armenia. If she’s sitting in the driver’s seat, many passengers prefer to ride with her rather than taking a faster means of transportation. They’ll get on board and engage Emma in a friendly bout of chit-chat.

Such wasn’t the case 32 years ago when Emma first starting driving. Back then, men and women didn’t take too kindly to a woman driver.

“It was so bad, I mean the people were so taken aback to see a woman, that they would insult you to your face. ‘What, couldn’t you get a proper job?’ they would ask,” says 60 year-old Emma, a native of Alaverdi.

It was her childhood dream to get behind the wheel. Emma’s mother was unique in her own right. She worked as a crane operator. No wonder she encouraged Emma to pursue her dream.

When Emma first started driving a trolleybus, there were other women besides her doing the same job. Many left, finding the work too taxing and stressful. “I’m the only one left,” says Emma.

There are 50-60 male trolleybus drivers in Yerevan. For the past few years they have taken the initiative to organize a birthday party for Emma. For her 60^th birthday, a lavish celebration took place at the Yerevan ElectroTransport company. “I really have no complaints when it comes to my circle of friends. I’ve never heard a bitter word from any of them,” Emma says.

Every day, Emma makes six round trips through the streets of Yerevan. At the end of her shift, she has to hand over 14,500 AMD to her employer Yerevan ElectroTransport. Sometimes, the fares come up short. She gets paid a monthly salary of 65-75,000 AMD ($165). Her average workday is from 7am to 7pm.

Emma says that even if she had the chance to change her profession, she’d still choose what she is doing now. Her other dream was to become an actor, she confesses. She even acted on the stage of the Alaverdi Theater and sang in the national instruments’ ensemble. But, as she says, driving was a natural for her.

She has three children and seven grandkids. Even though she loves her work, Emma dissuaded her daughter and granddaughter from following in her footsteps.

“I told them that driving a trolleybus or any other means of transportation in the city today has become very difficult work. I had to endure many hardships to reach the position of respect I enjoy today. I don’t want them to experience all that,” says Emma.

Over the span of 32 years, Emma and her trolleybus have seen their fair share of accidents; sometimes because of mistakes she has made. Thankfully, no one has been injured.

If she could change one thing about the traffic situation in Yerevan she says that violators would be punished on the spot, regardless of who was behind the wheel and whether the vehicle involved was an expensive one or a jalopy.

“They have installed speed cameras on the roads but I don’t have much faith in them. People still break the rules. Where do they get the money to pay all those fines? Cameras should be inside the heads of the drivers instead of one the streets. Drivers have to respect the traffic safety laws, Emma argues.

She points out that the trolleybus is the most important form of transportation on the road and the most democratic. All types of people use them – seniors, people with lifetime passes, the handicapped, the poor, etc.

It pains Emma to see how seniors are treated and how many are forced to rummage around in trash cans to make ends meet.

“They are our elders. I don’t see people treating them with the respect they deserve. I have many elderly passengers who are on their own, with no one to care for them. It breaks my heart. If I owned my own car, I’d stop and give them a lift,” says Emma.

She has no qualms about telling younger passengers to give up their seats to seniors when the trolleybus is full.

Oftentimes, when it comes time to exit the trolleybus, a passenger will say they can’t pay. When this happens, Emma’s comeback is “Don’t worry, the world won’t come to an end.” Sometimes the exact opposite happens. Passengers with lifetime passes insist on paying the fare. They’ll even give the driver a candy or two along with the fare.

“It’s a small gesture but it really touches me. You can’t put a price on something like that. I rarely hear the male drivers say that they got candy or even fruit in the summer, as I do,” Emma says with a smile.

With the candy and fruit also come the arguments that break out amongst passengers; especially when they are inebriated. If this happens Emma must assume the role of mediator and calm things down.

Sometimes, on a very stressful day, even Emma loses her cool. But her loyal passengers understand her situation. They know she faithfully and responsibly ferries a thousand passengers every day.

“You can’t imagine how satisfied I am to know that my passengers support me. If any of them get to read this, I just want to tell them, thanks very much.”