Why I'm proud to be the 'Hijabi Cabbie'
In this episode of her podcast, Fresh Starts, award-winning documentary maker and podcaster Stacey Dooley meets Shelly, the self-titled ‘Hijabi Cabbie’ on social media, who says she is the only female, Muslim black cab driver in Corby.
As they go for a drive, glam mum-of-five Shelly explains why she wanted to move into the business, why she is defying convention for a Bangladeshi woman and why she has made it her mission to keep local young women safe at night.
Stacey also meets Shelly's daughter Ria, who is taking her driving test so that she can one day follow in her mum's tyre tracks!
Listen to the podcast episode Shelly: 'Hijabi Cabbie' and proud now on BBC Sounds!
Behind the wheel
Originally from Sheffield before moving to Corby, Shelly and her family spent time in Bangladesh so that her children could become familiar with the language and attend a mosque.
They’d not seen a woman drive, it was a novelty for them”Shelly
While she was living in Bangladesh, Shelly would attract a lot of attention when she was driving. “Everyone was following me in the villages because they’d not seen a woman drive, it was a novelty for them.”
On her return, wanting to find a flexible job, Shelly passed “the knowledge” taxi driving test to become a black cab driver in Corby.
It took her a little while to get used to everything (she remembers charging someone just 10p for a fare!) but she eventually saved enough to buy her own cab.
Seeing how much autonomy the job gave Shelly inspired her husband to start working as a cabbie too!
Not everyone was on board with Shelly’s new job
In many ways, the reaction Shelly experienced in Bangladesh followed her home.
I take men to their house, not to my house!"Shelly
People were definitely curious, and sometimes negative to her. She was told that people were laughing at her, that it was not Islamic to do what she did and it was not what women do.
Shelly thinks that part of this is because she is driving men, to which she states: “I take men to their house, not to my house! So, I don't think there's a problem in that."
Scary rides
But it is not just the opinions that have caused Shelly problems - some of the behaviour that Shelly has experienced from passengers has been hostile too, including racist abuse.
She remembers one passenger started ranting: “You Muslims, I bet you sit at home making bombs.”
Shelly said she laughed it off: “I'm not making bombs. I'm busy making money!” Refusing to take the man to his destination, Shelly took him back to the taxi rank.
The man then told Shelly that he had a gun and that he was going to shoot her. “I'm thinking my head ‘you haven’t got the guts, mate’, so, I locked him in.”
The man started banging on the door, and all Shelly could think was, “Don't break my cab". He eventually paid his fare and left.
Bon voyages
Despite some of the raised eyebrows and hair-raising escapes, life as a cabbie has been overwhelmingly positive - sometimes her passengers even take her shopping.
“Sometimes my husband asks me ‘Did you make any money today?’ I have to say ‘No, I went shopping!’”
Shelly often ends up more than just a driver, listening to people’s problems, and even receiving the occasional marriage proposal.
Most significant of all is that she has become trusted by women returning home late from a night out. “They’re waiting at the rank at 2am, 3am, and they're actually not getting in the cabs - they’re waiting for me to take them home.”
Shelly’s daughter is right behind her
Whilst Stacey was driven around Corby by Shelly, Ria - Shelly’s 18-year-old daughter - was taking a driving test.
Ria has been inspired by her mum’s career gear change and the way she has provided for the family. Ria found her mum’s job entertaining at times too.
“There's always new stories,” says Ria, “like every single day. It's really fun. She'll come and sit down and she'll tell us. They will be really funny sometimes. Sometimes there's bad ones, but you know, you're obviously going to get that.”
Ria hasn’t ruled out joining her mum – and dad – and becoming a cabbie.
Inspiring people makes Shelly so happy: "I would be happy if one person says ‘I saw you and decided that I want to do it as well.’”
