Women cabbies in driver’s seat

Techies of the fairer sex are happy with the government's decision; say they can now travel fearlessly even at night

Women cabbies in driver's seat

Techies of the fairer sex are happy with the government's decision; say they can now travel fearlessly even at night

Move aside male chauvinist drivers. Around 30 women cab drivers are set to hit the road soon and ferry passengers to their destinations.

The current trend is to outsource transportation of workers to and from late night shifts to a fleet of cabs.Women BPO employees and police believe this is an unsafe arrangement. So the government's plan to introduce women cab drivers is a welcome decision, especially for the working women.

"The possibility of drivers being drunk during their night duty is likely to be reduced if BPO companies hire women drivers. Not only will this insulate the women from the possibility of sexual assault, it is also likely to provide new income opportunities for women from relatively poor socio-economic backgrounds," said Brinda Adige, social activist.

Vasuda Ravichandran, CEO, HPS Foundation said, "It is the first of its kind and through this we hope to raise the self esteem of these women since the project aims to give a dignified job that pays well."

In India, professional women drivers is still a nascent idea. "There are some women drivers who have successfully completed their training and got a driving license," said Vasuda.

Sheela K, a woman bus conductor working with BMTCu00a0 said, "I don't mind trying this out. Bangalore needs women cab drivers, as its extremely unsafe for women now. If I get a good pay, I'll definitely work as a cabbie."

Geeta Rani, a woman auto driver said,u00a0 "Initially when I started working it was very tiring. I worked from nine in the morning to ten at night. I've driven around Bangalore at night, too. The only problem is that the male auto drivers don't know how to respect women, they look down on me like I'm doing a big sin, but I've my family's support so I've managed well in the last three years."

Men have doubts

"I think the biggest problem for women drivers will be attitudinal. The current population of male drivers may not welcomeu00a0 their women counterparts too warmly," said Kishan Kumar, an HR professional.

"However attitudes can change. Ten years ago, almost all police constables were male. But now, one can see quite a few women constables," he added.

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