Cab service is generally viewed as a male-dominated career almost all over the world. In the past, other career jobs such as engineering, medicine and the likes were viewed as “tough” jobs and suitable for men. While women shied to these jobs, they were much comfortable to teaching, and nursing careers.
However, times have changed and gender-perceived jobs are no longer limited to a particular gender. Therefore, a man can be a hair dresser while a woman can be a cab driver.
Now in India, the demand for cab services is on the rise due to the large population and also inefficient public transport systems. Even more so, female cab drivers are highly required following cases of alleged female harassment and sexual assaults by some male cab drivers.
Some years back, For-She, an only-female cab service initiative, was introduced in India. The purpose was to offer security to female passengers by having female chauffeurs for the taxis. Not long after, several other initiatives such as Meru Cab, Sakha Cabs among others, came into the market offering the same safety services.
High demand
According to Anuradha B M, a co-founder of Go Pink Premium Cabs, their preferred clients are corporate firms’ women employees, senior citizens, schoolchildren and even international female passengers who particularly require odd-hours transport. Male passengers can only get this transport system only in the company of a female family member. The need to expand is essential due to a high demand for this “safer-option” means of transport.
Yet, this spike in interest for female drivers has become a constraint for the cab service firms. Despite the job opportunities offered by these private transport firms, the firms face challenges in finding and hiring female drivers.
These initiatives seek to empower women for women yet they face quite some difficulties implementing their objectives.
What are these challenges?
Disapproval by other male cab drivers. Even though the private transport system is mainly male dominated, these female-only cab service firms do not just face the gender-perception job challenge. The motives may be innocent and seek to offer safety for women, but, the initiatives may be considered to be gender-biased.
Also, the few female drivers may end up working for 10-12 hours a day and this has led to several trained drivers to quit their jobs thus increasing the demand for more female drivers to peak levels. Sometimes, some female drivers may quit after becoming financially sustainable. They then get proposals from suitors since now they have acquired a good marriageable value and after marriage, their families may prohibit them from working. Those who continue to work then face family commitments at night and may not be available for work.
Lack of mobile app for the female cab service and complains on overpricing may be other challenges.
Moving forward
In spite of the barriers, the women-only mobility industry seeks to move forward. Some have gone ahead to increase their number of cars in order to create more job opportunities for the Indian women.
Policies such as removal of training entry cost for women to promote skilling programs are being proposed for implementation in order to encourage more women to chauffer jobs so as to balance the demand in the market.
Regardless, these women-mobility initiatives have received positive feedback from their female clients with some commenting over not having to worry while being transported by a female-driven cab.
Local & Outstation Taxi Services in India 