The Hindu : New Delhi News : New opportunities for women in public transport system

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 11, 2007
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New Delhi

New opportunities for women in public transport system

P. Anima

`Women drivers will help in image makeover of the Capital'

NEW DELHI: Fitted as they are with safety gadgets like the global positioning system, a panic button and a partition between the driver and the passengers, the newly launched fleet of sleek radio taxis in the Capital is being projected by its promoters to lure more and more women to the driver's seat in the city's futuristic public transport system.

Orix Auto Infrastructure Services Limited (OAIS), which launched "Delhi Cab" recently, proposes to provide "foolproof" safety measures to help the Capital get rid of its time-gained notoriety as an "unsafe city" and attract women drivers to the job.

After efforts by the Union Government as part of the "Incredible India" campaign that sought to popularise women cab drivers, private player OAIS is now keen to include women in its pool of drivers. It was the new safety measures in the cab system that prompted the company to think that the time is right to introduce women drivers.

With the public transport system being overhauled ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, women drivers will also help in the image makeover of the city, says OAIS Chief Executive Officer Neeraj Kumar.

The company has already taken a few steps in the direction and identified five women commercial driver license holders. In a city where safety of women has been a problem on issues like night shifts, Mr. Kumar said, "we are willing to accommodate, facilitate and work with them".

Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Kiran Walia, who handles cases of violence against women on a daily basis, said it would be unfair to cut down on the employment opportunities for women merely on consideration of safety. The DCW Chairperson is also hoping that it would give women passengers a sense of security when they see a woman in the driver's seat.

Sunita Choudhary, the only woman auto-rickshaw driver in the Capital, said though there have been instances were she has had to fight her own battles, the job is necessary to earn her daily bread.

"The other day a drunk wanted to board my vehicle in the night and I refused. Ultimately the police came to settle the matter," said Ms. Choudhary, who has been driving in the city for the past couple of years. "A disaster can befall you even while you are at home," she said, adding that she has sought help of the police on various occasions.

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