Not a man’s world:Ride-hailing turning to women

Initiative provides women with jobs in a male-dominated sector

ISLAMABAD: Customers of ride-hailing and cab services in the federal capital have been witnessing a refreshing change when they use the services — their ride ‘captains’ are now increasingly women.

Various ride-hailing services, having opened the door to women in recent years, are now hiring more women for different vehicles, whether they are cars, motorbikes or even the tri-wheeler rickshaws. Women can be seen transporting customers across the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Ostensibly, the aim of the initiative was to provide women with the same encouragement and employment opportunities offered by the ride-hailing services to men in the country’s swelling youth bulge.

Muhammad Umer, the manager of a ride-hailing company said that their "main objective is to encourage women and produce job opportunities for them.”

Nowhere was this more true in the near-absolute male-dominated vehicle of motorbikes. A symbol of their carefree and living-on-the-edge attitude by young men from Rawalpindi who turned the city’s streets into their stunt arenas, the two-wheeler was long considered too dangerous for women to ride pillion (amid raging debates of sitting cross bodied or as regular riders) and for them to drive one was neigh unthinkable until a few years ago.

However, he said that women in large numbers have been signing up as motorbike captains (drivers), even those who are not educated enough to support their families.

"Initially, we were reluctant to hire women as motorbike drivers but after getting a positive response, we hired 1,000 women drivers," he explained.

Noshaba Saleem, a bike captain admitted that she was initially a little nervous about the idea.

“With the passage of time, I got enough courage and passion to do my work confidently. My family said it may be a difficult job but thankfully I did not face any issues," she said.

Having women riders has also helped the ride-sharing companies tap into a key segment of the market, women customers.

“I have mostly had women customers who have been very supportive and boost my morale for what I am doing for my children,” Saleem said, adding that even the men she has had to ferry around were cooperative and have not given her any grief.

“I am very satisfied and happy because I am earning a handsome amount for my children and saving too," she added.

She expressed satisfaction over her profession and said that all women should keep their spirits high, be brave and have enough courage to earn for themselves, as it has brought her a sense of independence.

 Mastering the tri-wheeler

Private transport companies operating in Rawalpindi have started hiring women as rickshaw drivers.

Company representatives said that the project was launched with an aim to create jobs for unemployed women in the city.

He, however, conceded that at the moment the trend of women as rickshaw drivers was not seen as an attractive one but in future, this profession is expected to gain popularity amongst women — both as drivers and customer — as it will help them economically.

The company official said that initially very few people applied for the job but now they have dozens of people signing up.

A number of cab companies have also started hiring women as rickshaw drivers in the male-dominated profession to earn independently to support their families.

“I am the sole breadwinner of my family, so I decided to get a rickshaw with the help of my relatives,” explained a rickshaw driver Noreen Bano.

“Initially it felt very strange, but afterwards, people started encouraging me.”

She started off picking and dropping children to school, and then later became associated with a private cab service where she was earning enough money to feed her children.

“Even if you are not educated enough, you just need passion and confidence to get into this profession,” Bano explained, adding, “It is better than begging on the streets to earn money and feed our families.”

Bano said that after word got out about her driving a rickshaw, a lot of women had approached her, asking her to teach them how to drive a rickshaw.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2018.