This inspirational young woman is defying gender stereotypes by becoming a taxi driver in the male-dominated industry in Thailand.

Female cabbie Sasithorn Khejornsart, 25, has overcome sexism from customers - and even been propositioned by tourists who assume she will sleep with them.

Despite the difficulties, Sasithorn said she loves her work in the green and yellow government-regulated meter cars, which she took up to pay off her student loans.

With the driving skills she learned from her father, she pursued the unconventional career path, surprising conservative locals expecting a gruff male driver when they hail a cab from the street.

Sasithorn said she was initially nervous because she was unfamiliar with the routes in the capital city. But after spending a year plying its roads, the determined young woman grew more comfortable and began to enjoy her work.

She said: 'It's a relatively stress-free job because I can drive at my own pace. I meet a lot of different customers, but the majority of them are kind. I learned a lot of insights from them.

'Most of my female passengers told me they felt more secure and comfortable with another woman at the wheel.'

However, not everyone is as open-minded or accepting. Sasithorn said she has also encountered short-tempered sexist customers, who would scold her for being a novice driver or treat her different because she is a woman driver.

As many foreign tourists visit Bangkok, the female cabbie said she relies on Google Translate to communicate with them.

She said she was extra vigilant when dealing with male passengers, especially those headed to more obscure or sketchy areas in the city, notorious for its underbelly of eroticism.

She said a foreign passenger had once tried to solicit her for two hours of sex. He was initially going to a shopping mall, but changed his destination to a hotel, alarming Sasithorn.

When she asked about his intentions, he then tried to hand her some cash and said he wanted to take her to bed. She turned him down, and the embarrassed holidaymaker apologised to her.

Despite the difficulties of the job, Sasithorn said she was grateful for the opportunity to earn money and work towards her dreams.

She said: 'I'm doing this to settle my student loans, but eventually I want to pursue my dream of becoming a public school teacher.'

VIDEO SUBTITLES:


1.09 Hello, my name is Sasithon Khedjonsak. My nickname is Pia and I'm 25 years old. I'm a taxi driver in Bangkok
1.17 I graduated and moved in with my dad so I could work in Bangkok. While I was studying I took a student loan. I wanted to have savings and I wanted to clear my student loan
1.30 So my dad asked me if I wanted to become a taxi driver because I always drove the car when I was in the province. I thought, Why not?
1.41 My dad guided me. At first, I didn't know the routes in Bangkok. I have been driving for a year now. This job gives me a sense of freedom. It's only driving and there's no stress
1.51 I meet all kinds of passengers. Most of them are kind. The passengers would teach me life skills. Most of the passengers would say nice things to me
2.06 If it's female passengers, they'd tell me ‘How nice, I feel safe with a female driver.' It's only one per cent that are rud
2.17 Because of some routes I'm not very confident. They'd tell me there's a shorter route, why didn't I take them that way?
2.30 Driving a taxi meter car, I only have to pick up passengers and drop them at the destination. It's not very stressful. I think the hard part of the job is deciding while driving
2.39 Like when there are many cars taking turns, I have to use my courage to just move through and go straight. Or sometimes when I get foreign passengers
2.49 I'm not good with languages so I use Google Translate. I have to watch out for myself, I have to check where the passenger's destination is
3.08 Whether it's in the suburb or is it isolated. If it's not dangerous to me, then I can take them and drop them
3.14 One time a foreign passenger climbed up and asked me if I was available for two hours. At first, I didn't want to think negatively. So I used Google Translate and asked what exactly does the passenger want
3.30 At first he wanted me to drop him at the department store but then asked me to take a u-turn back to his hotel. I was curious but didn't want to say no to my passenger
3.39 So I asked him. Then he looked at me and showed me banknotes and said he could pay to have me. So I apologized to him and said I don't offer such services
3.51 I said no. I was shocked but the area I picked him up wasn't scary. It was in the city so I wasn't scared. I rejected his offer
4.06 You can defend yourself right away if an unexpected event occurs. I told the passenger that I was sorry and that I'm not comfortable going out with him
4.19 He understood what I said and also apologized to me. I want to save enough money to clear the student loan. And then follow my dreams
4.30 I want to work as I what I studied for. I want to become a teacher