From Office desk to driver’s seat

By Timothy Inifiri Jnr

A great number of Government workers retire every year, some might choose to settle in for a quite happy life spending time with their families, while others totally reinvent themselves just to meet the basic needs at home, and that is the case for Ms Kiko, the only female Taxi driver of the Prince Taxi Service.

It was only in 2022 that Dorothy  Kiko was posted as the Human Resource Manager for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), after about 34 years of service with several Government Ministries. Now two years on after her retirement, unlike many who would settle for a quiet life with their families, the 56 year old single mother of four (4) instead spends most of her retirement days as a taxi driver just to make ends meet for her family.

“It was only my age that forced me out of the system because I was already in my 50s, so while staying out of work I felt that I still have the potential to contribute to our economy,  influence a few people and at the same time support my family”.

“As a taxi driver I usually interact with all different class of people, they are either students, youths, elderly people, working class people and I really enjoy it unlike in the offices where there are always formal ways to communicate with different people”, said Ms Kiko.

As the only female in her taxi fleet, Ms Kiko highlighted that there were some challenges she faced at the beginning but things started working out for her as time goes by.

“When I started working with the Prince Taxi Fleet, the first challenge I encountered was communicating with those running the fleet and  all my other male colleagues , because coming from a place of work where there are formal ways of communicating plus there are also other women colleagues, I found it very different as a taxi driver”, she highlighted.

As time goes on, Kiko adjusted from sitting in an office desk to cruising around Honiara in front of the driver’s seat and at the same time comfortably communicating back to base or with all her male colleagues.

Kiko also added that as a mother and single parent, she also has her roles and responsibilities at home which sometimes don’t blend in well with her new line of work.

“At times I often come back home late but I usually try my very best to be present when my family needs me home, even for small things like money for buying cash water, gas, rice or other household needs”.

Being a retired long time Government worker and at the same time one of the very few female taxi drivers in the country, she hopes that she can be a role model to other females and also to other fellow retired workers

“I think we female can provide better customer care compared to our male counterparts, I’m advising other females owning vehicles that the taxi service is not only for men nowadays, we can break the barriers and do anything that they say only men can do”.

“And to other retirees like myself, from my experience I can say that there are many opportunities out there, and it is up to us to look for them in order to continue to provide the basic needs at home and I think that is the most important thing for me”, she said.

Meanwhile the proud Prince Taxi Service driver revealed that among her long line of plans, she will soon be bringing her service to parents who need help in picking up their children from school.