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Hair pulled back tightly as she lounges on her red scooter, Ar is a rare sight among the male-dominated ranks of Bangkok's motortaxi riders plying their trade on the Thai capital's treacherous roads.
A veteran of seven years who works in the bustling on the Nut district, Arte
She welcomes the changes to offering a chance for women to gain more independence.
"I am glad there are more opportunities for women to become 'motorsai'," she said, referring to the road warriors whose distinctive orange jackets line the streets of Bangkok.
"A new generation of women nowadays to be tough and brave."
Although no official figures are available, observers say they are more likely to be at risk for traffic-logged roads and discrimination for flexible work schedules.
Chaloem Changtongmadun, President of Thailand's Motorcycle Taxi Association, said that it has worked at a level of office, shops or factories.
"Women do not find the job when they get pregnant," he told AFP.
"They feel closer to their families than when they worked in companies."
He believes that women today make up 30 percent of Bangkok's 98,000 registered drivers.
In many parts of the Thai workforce, expectations are still at play, with women typically filling jobs and clerical positions.
"Thailand still has very blatant gender discrimination," said Kyoko Kusakabe, a professor at Bangkok's Asian Institute of Technology where she studies women's employment in the informal economy.
Kusakabe said, especially in times of crisis.
Women are more likely to take up low-paid work in the informal economy while they "stay at work for a better job", she explained.
'Now things have changed'
Chaloem also attributes the increase in recent years to the struggling economy, which has been under pressure since a military junta took over in 2014.
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"Many people lost their jobs or their families," Chaloem told AFP.
Thailand also has one of the highest numbers of road deaths in the world, and Bangkok's motortaxi drivers embrace a life on the edge to provide a lifeline transport, weaving skillfully between long lines of cars.
As the industry has become more regulated, the drivers are now vulnerable to abuse.
Mototaxi queues – known as "wins" – also known as "elections" and "elections".
However, most of the women still require the support of a relative relative to a line, where there is usually a lot of competition.
Waiting for her turn on a shady Bangkok street in the Ari neighborhood, Paveena – who goes by the nickname Yaya – says she could only secure her position because her brother vouched for her.
"I would like to say" I would like to pay more than you, "36-year-old Yaya told AFP, explaining the second job was needed to support her family after the death of her mother four years ago.
Today, she earns about 1,200 baht (US $ 37) for a full day's work – a relatively high income compared to Thailand's daily minimum wage of 330 baht.
Being able to make her own schedule also gives her the freedom to juggle her other job of selling school stationery.
Yaya said leaving a life of routine to buzz through the streets even helped her deal with her grievance.
"Driving helped me get through the loss of my mother because I just did not have to think so much … I just drove," Yaya said.
Buayloy Suphasorn, 53, started 17 years ago and is considered to be one of the first female drivers on her win.
Someone did not want to sit on my bike because I'm a woman, "she said, adding that they would think it would be a bad driver.
"But now things have changed."
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