Star Belarusian actor Ihar Sihou became a bus driver. Says it's better than taxi driving
Actor Ihar Sihou announced that today is his first working day as a bus driver. "I've mastered another hobby. Why not? Poland offers such opportunities to find something for the soul," he says.
"Nasha Niva" asked Sihou why he exchanged taxi work for a bus route.
Ihar Sihou. Photo from personal archive
Ihar Sihou is an Honored Artist of Belarus, a theater and film actor. For 20 years he worked at the Republican Theater of Belarusian Drama, including as its director. He continued his career at the Kupalauski Theater, from which he resigned in protest in 2020. In emigration, he joined the "Volnyja Kupalaŭcy" (Free Kupala People) troupe.
Professional changes are primarily related to moving to another city.
"We moved from Warsaw to Grodzisk Mazowiecki, which is 40 kilometers from the capital. That's why I had to look for a new job. Buses are interesting to me, and I won't have to pay for car rental or diesel, like with a taxi."
The actor completed a three-month preparatory course – he passed the theory in Polish on the first try, but it took four attempts for the practical part.
"Sometimes I was stressed, sometimes I couldn't say something in Polish right away. That's why I'm now taking language courses," Sihou explains.
The training cost about $2500; half of the amount was paid by the PKS company itself, and the other half the newly minted driver will have to work off.
Initially, Ihar Sihou was entrusted with driving a small bus on route No. 29. The schedule is five days a week with shifts from 4:00 AM to noon or from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
"We actors, of course, love to sleep in, but I will get used to early starts. In a taxi, you also have them if you want to earn money," he says.
Ihar warned his new employer that his main specialization is acting, so if there are film or theater projects, he will have to ask for time off and swap shifts with colleagues. Previously, for example, Sihou was approved for a role in a feature film, the shooting of which is scheduled for late summer.
The actor does not rule out that in the future he will operate bus routes in Warsaw.
"I'll gain experience, build up my seniority. Who knows how it will go. But generally, I would like to get behind the wheel of an international bus, Warsaw — Minsk, so that one day we can all ride it to a free Belarus."
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