GLASGOW is in the fast lane for a garage which will target women drivers by recruiting a team of all-female mechanics.

Sisters Stephanie and Kelly McNeil are preparing to shake up the city's motor trade once they have got to grips with camshafts and a crankshafts.

Both are studying at the Clydebank campus of West College Scotland to become car mechanics.

Stephanie, 35, who has two sons, said: "We knew we wanted to do a course that was practical and hands on, something that would offer a unique opportunity for a business.

"A lot of women find it intimidating when taking their cars into a garage as it's male dominated and many of them feel that they are going to get ripped off due to their lack of knowledge.

"As Kelly and I had an interest in cars it got us thinking that a career in motor mechanics could be exactly what we were looking for.

"There aren't many garages, if any, in Glasgow that are run by women with an all-female mechanical team so we thought there was definitely a niche in the market for one."

Stephanie and her 29-year-old sister both live in Dalmuir, Clydebank, and have to juggle their family commitments with their full-time college course.

But both have no regrets about signing up for the three-year course.

Mum of two Kelly added: "It's not just a case of learning how to fix what's under the bonnet.

"Many cars now require software updates and the more environmentally friendly ones run by battery so there's a lot to learn."

Both are about to complete their first year of study.

Kelly said: "The ambition is to have our own 'all women' garage offering a friendly, efficient and reliable service that women can feel comfortable coming to and have peace of mind that they won't be ripped off."

And the sisters insist they won't be sexists in their choice of customers.

Kelly insisted: "It's not just women we want to help but men too. Many men - especially the older generation - feel intimated going into a garage."

The Automobile Association (AA) launched an industry-wide code of practice six years ago to encourage garages to raise customer service standards.

An AA spokesman said: "All-female mechanics is not a new thing but it is something which there is clearly a market for.

"Good luck to the two sisters."

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk