Women-only taxis

The Sindh government’s plan to launch a women-only taxi in Karachi as part of its transport modernisation plan will have a monumental impact on women across the metropolis. It will offer many working women and women without male guardians a safer commute option. Lady captains will be hired, and cameras will be installed to improve safety for passengers during their commute. The relevant department must establish a control room to monitor drivers’ and passengers’ journeys to ensure better safety and security.

Women are increasingly compelled to seek work to support their households due to the ever-increasing inflation. This initiative will open a new field for many women. To encourage more women to join, women should be offered training and female drivers should be assisted in acquiring their driving licences. Considering that many female drivers regularly experience harassment and abuse on the roads, lady captains may experience similar behaviour from male drivers. This can be discouraging and demoralising and can also result in accidents. Before launching the initiative, the government must launch an awareness campaign to discourage people from harassing female drivers. Traffic police should be instructed to act against drivers harassing female drivers. Lady captains should be able to report any form of abusive behaviour.

The taxi service should be accessible across the city and the fares should be affordable so that a maximum number of women can benefit from it. The Sindh government must make sure that the initiative is a success as it will empower many women and encourage other provincial governments to launch similar initiatives. These initiatives are crucial in improving women’s mobility and accessibility to various opportunities and can help the country bridge the gender gap.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2022.

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