Isn’t it interesting for husband and wife to workmates? This might just be the case for this Tanzanian couple who work together as a bus driver and conductor.
The couple Athuman Hatibu and Witness Mushi made headlines after it was discovered that they have been working together for five years in the transportation business.
A graduate of mass communication, Witness quit her job to support her husband after several complaints from him about lazy conductors.
In a chat with The Citizen, Witness said:
“It was not an easy decision to make because I led a different lifestyle before starting out as a bus conductor. My husband had a lot of complaints about the previous conductors who worked with him and most of the complaints were about little fares collected at the end of the day. I then told him to give me a day to learn and identify all the bus stations and fares along the route so he could afterwards decide if we could work together.”
According to Athuman, he began to notice a difference in the earnings when his wife joined him compared to working with other conductors.
Citing a recent example when Witness had traveled and he hired his younger brother as a conductor, Athuman said, “working alongside my brother proved my point that no other person has ever reached the collection target my wife hits when she’s on duty.”
On how they manage their work-life balance, they revealed that they wake up by 3am and hit the road by 4am. Work ends for them at 11pm after making 20 trips. At the end of each trip, they have a debriefing where Witness informs him of any incidents and tips from male passengers.
Considering they are out for most of the day, they have two children in boarding school and the two others live with their grandparents. The couple made a pact to never let the situation at home interfere with the work environment.