Women cab drivers

New Delhi: Capital’s first set of women taxi drivers get set to hit the road

About two months ago, a group of nine women began their training in driving. Ahead of the new year, as they inch closer to their dreams and get set to hit the roads, there is no looking back for these would-be women taxi drivers.

The women cab drivers are set to hit the streets in the next couple of months, if everything goes as per plans.

Shanno Begum is among the nine volunteers. A widow with two young daughters and a son, it was a challenge for her to make both ends meet for the family. “I worked for over 13 hours a day as an attendant for patients and earned around Rs 4,500,” she says. “At the end of the day, I barely had time for my children.”

“But once I start working as a taxi driver, I will have to put in only eight hours and will earn just as much.”

Saroj too, hopes to support her family through the troubled financial times, and believes steering a taxi will liberate her. “My parents consider me as the man of the family. I have a younger sister and I have to support her education as well,” Saroj says. With a glint of hope in her eyes, she adds, almost as an afterthought: “Maybe, once I start earning, I will also be able to complete my studies.”

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The stories of Ekta Yadav, Hamsheera, Chandni, Jyoti Solanki, Rita, Heena and Nirmala are no different: they all tell tales of grit, personal achievement, and transcending social barriers to step into a world till date dominated by men. “We will be role models for other women one day — maybe we will inspire them to join us in living their dreams,” Jyoti Solanki says. “Driving has till date been seen as a male domain but even women can be swift drivers and, in fact, be more sensitive on the roads.”

Sitting behind the wheel gives them a sense of power, though even during their training sessions they were brushed past by smirking bus drivers and taunting men on the roads. “We have heard so many times that women can’t drive,” Chandni says. “We have now stopped bothering about such barbs. We are confident of our driving skills and have done our homework on roads signs and routes.”

From self-defence and grooming to communication skills and spoken English, the women have been trained to be polished professionals.

The project is an initiative by Delhi-based NGO Azad Foundation, along with Maruti and Shell. The NGO’s executive director, Meenu Vadera, says: “A basic knowledge of self-defence is very important for all women working in Delhi. That apart, they have also been trained to behave with customers in a polite but professional manner and develop a good body language.”

Vadera says the women have undergone two months of training and are now left with another two months of apprenticeship.

The good thing, she says, is that they would start earning during the apprenticeship period itself. “But to begin work as commercial drivers they will have to work for a year as a private driver with corporate houses or households.”

On how she zeroed in on the nine women, Vadera says: “I got in touch with several NGOs and visited slums to recruit women who aspired to make a mark for themselves.

“Initially we received 60 applicants, of which some got shortlisted and others dropped out due to personal reasons. The nine that have been able to complete the training process are now getting their licences.

“They will be on the roads as commercial taxi drivers after completing the apprenticeship period,” she adds.