GEORGE TOWN: School bus driver Gayathiri Chellam took pride ferrying children from Batu Uban to town for the past eight years.
Her “journey” first began by sending her four children to classes at a convent in town.
Her late brother then helped her obtain a small MPV and, in 2014, she became a qualified school bus driver by buying a van with yellow livery. The 40-year-old mother felt she had reached a milestone with her new bas sekolah.
She was able to ferry some 30 students in two trips, earning enough to put food on the table for her family and service her loan for her 600 sq ft flat with an income of about RM4,000 a month.
But things went downhill when the movement control order was enforced in March, with many of the children dropping out and leaving her with virtually no income.
Desperate, Gayathiri turned to money lenders but was unable to repay them on time. They retaliated by vandalising her van, which needed repairs costing RM6,000. That sum, too, was borrowed from family and friends.
Weeks later, the van was repossessed and auctioned off by the bank after she missed more than six months of payment.
Gayathiri claimed the money lenders then forced her to “refinance” her house and “transfer” its ownership to another person, to whom she now pays rent.
“I used to tell the parents of the poorer students on my bus that they could pay only when they had the money. I used to ferry senior citizens to hospital after seeing them wait at the bus-stop. But I do not expect anything in return,” she told FMT.
Her flat at Taman Utara in Batu Uban is practically empty, except for a prayer altar and a small dining table in the kitchen. The bedrooms do not have fans and the family sleeps on comforters on the floor.
Gayathiri said that to settle some of her debts amounting to close to RM100,000, she has been forced to sell everything at home for cash, also to feed her four children and a jobless husband. Her refrigerator, air-conditioner and even the ceiling fans have been sold to raise whatever she can. Even her mobile phone has been pawned for RM150.
She told her 18-year-old daughter Dhivyasni to stop studying in Form Six because books are expensive and online learning is not possible. Her three other children, aged 11, 13, and 14, are staying with friends so that they do not miss online classes. They do not want to come back home, for obvious reasons, she said.
Gayathiri also said her 40-year-old husband is mentally ill.
She said her 75-year-old father drops by from time to time to bring her food, and that their three meals usually consist of instant noodles and bread. On a good day, she said, she manages to prepare fried beehoon.
“My father is getting a pension of about RM1,500 after we lost our brother in an air crash in 2016. I pity him, coming here to help us when he has to support my mother at home,” she said.
Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, who heard about her plight, helped to place a caveat on her flat so it would not be sold and has engaged a lawyer for her. Batu Uban assemblyman A Kumaresan and the Penang Hindu Association also provided her some necessities last month.
Those who wish to help them may drop us a WhatsApp message on FMT’s Helpline at 0193899839.