Bengaluru is taking steps to make the city safer for women. The city now has a cab service exclusively for women which will employ female drivers. The joint effort by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), flagged of its services yesterday. The fleet will have 10 cabs and will take the women from the airport to the rest of the city. The fares are affordable with a competitive price of Rs 21.50/km during day while the fare would increase to Rs 23.50/km after midnight. The cabs will be equipped with GPS and have an SOS feature in case of any emergencies. The female cab drivers are hired from the areas surrounding the airport – an effort to make them self-sustainable. They will be trained in self-defence tactics and also speak multiple languages.
Kumar Pushkar, the Managing Director of KSTDC said at a press conference, that this move was to fulfill 2 major objectives. “This concept has been implemented to provide a safe and secure mode of transport for women travelers from the Airport, while simultaneously creating opportunities for women drivers to be self-employed and empowered.”
We love initiatives that champion the safety of women, just last month Hyderabad Police launched an all-women patrol squad to fight crimes against women. Recently, a popular cab-aggregator also started hiring women drivers. A few years ago, a Delhi based agency launched Sakhi – an all female cab service. The Kerala Government launched She Taxi- also run on similar lines. However, the main issue faced by many female drivers is that even when they work, the domestic responsibilities including parenting are still solely on their shoulders. And because they are often forced to pick the latter, the cab services shut down.
No doubt, these services will definitely make the cities a bit more safer for women. Women travelling alone at night or very early in the morning to the airport, often do not feel secure. This new option gives women a chance to have a worry-free journey.
Article Credit: IDiva