IT took her five attempts to pass her car driving test – but only one to sail through her bus exam.

Now graduate Rachel Beckett is Brighton and Hove Bus Company’s newest female recruit – and she cannot wait to get behind the wheel.

The 23-year-old has joined the company’s trainee management scheme with Metrobus, which involves regular stints out on the road and she is celebrating passing her bus driving practical test – known as the Passengers Carrying Vehicle exam.

Miss Beckett, from Crawley, said nerves got the better of her when she was learning to drive a car aged 17 in Liverpool.

But once she finally passed, fifth time lucky, her confidence soared and she found years later that nothing could stop her from trying out for her bus exams.

After taking part in a four-week intensive training course, which involved a theory test and hazard perception, Miss Beckett was ready for the bus practical.

She said: “I found the car tests nerve racking and sometimes I think this got the better of me. It was never really about my ability – I was only failing with one or two minors and a major.

“But I am older now and more able to cope with my nerves. The way I have learnt to drive the bus is different from the way we learn to drive a car. You are learning and practising solidly, which is a really good way to learn it. In the bus you are much higher up, you have a huge window in front of you. You feel a lot more in control.”

Miss Beckett initially relocated to Burgess Hill with her family after graduating from the University of York with a degree in sociology and criminology.

She is now encouraging other women to test out bus driving and consider joining the team.

Women can test out driving a bus from 10am at the company’s Newhaven bus depot on Saturday, October 25.