The first woman train driver in Germany Hanife Derici Ayas retired

Hanife Derici Ayas, Germany's first female citizen, retired after working for 39 years. Ayas, who started to work in 1980, will now tour the world.

Hanife Derici Ayas (61), who lives in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, became a trainee when she was 1967 years old in Germany, where she came with her family in 22. Ayas, the country's first female citizen, was retired after working for the city's public transport company Bogestra for 41 years. The first stop of Ayas' world tour, which he will take after his retirement, will be Thailand.

Explaining that she started her career as a sales officer, Ayas said, “A German girlfriend of mine said that the municipality is looking for a trainee. I didn't have the courage to do this job alone. I said, 'Let's both apply. We started to work in 1980 as the country's first female trainees. The first tram I used was a 1969 model. Then came the modern trams. I have used four different models of trams in my professional life. I was involved in 30 accidents,” she said.

Explaining that she raised two children alone while she was a citizen, the queen of the rails said, “The Turks who got on the tram and learned that I was Turkish were proud. When Bursaray was founded in 2003, I gave training in Bursa with four engineers. I was proud of that too. I was also fixing minor faults on the tram. Citizenship brought me discipline, punctuality and a planned life.” – morning