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Cairo women ride in peace with first female bus driver

New driver Umm Abdalla's all-female passengers can breathe easy as she navigates her full-size bus through Giza traffic.
A girl looks out of a window as she rides a bus in Cairo December 17, 2012. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah (EGYPT - Tags: SOCIETY) - GM1E8CH1P0501

The sight of a niqab-clad woman driving a full-size bus in Cairo’s congested streets during rush hour has left commuters and pedestrians in the Giza district open-mouthed. But Umm Abdalla, Egypt’s first female bus driver, is unfazed by the stares of curious onlookers.

“People stare anyway, no matter what you are wearing or what you do. Some are nosy by nature, others are simply curious. I just take it in stride,” she told Al-Monitor.

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