Next time, before you turn down an invite for a late night party because of safety issues, think of calling a cab that is being driven by a woman. After various incidents in the Capital, many cab companies are hiring women so that they can extend this service to women who are not only working late at night in MNCs, but also to women foreign tourists who arrive late at night. One is told that most of the women cab drivers do night duty. And these women do know how to handle all kinds of awkward situations. But for most part the passenger are too taken in by the fact that they are being driven around by a woman. There have been situations where the parkingwala has offered to park the car for these women cab drivers.
The reason for opening the platform for women is because the company has a commitment. “We have a commitment toward 50,000 women drivers by 2020, we’re working to promote this through partnerships with women’s training and other skill development agencies,” Amit Jain, president, Uber India says.
But Deepali Bhardwaj, COO of Sakha Consulting Wings Pvt ltd, tells you that there are not enough women cab drivers. “It will take time before their presence can be felt in a big way. But at least a step in this direction has been taken. We have a patriarchal society so the problem starts with convincing the parents to let their daughters go out on the roads. Once they manage to do that, the rest is cakewalk,” she says.
And it begins with the training — how to drive, how to change the tyre and do small repairs in case of a breakdown. They are also taught how to deal with the bias that women can’t be commercial drivers. “One of the most important aspects of their training which is for eight to nine months is how to deal with other male drivers and people who feel that driving is not a woman’s job. We teach them how to be respectful yet give a befitting reply,” Bhardwaj says.
Neena, who has been a commercial driver for over a -year-and-a-half, tells you that it was not as if driving was something that she needed to do learn to prove a point. “I learnt how to sew and even put mehndi. But I wanted to do something that would make my parents proud of me. I didn’t tell my father; only my mother and youngest brother knew. When I got my first salary and gave it to my father, he was so happy. He drives a tourist bus. Now, he goes around telling everybody — ‘I drive a bus but my daughter drives a car’,” Neena tells you who earns around Rs15,000 including overtime.
But it is not an easy ride for these women. Once the training is over, they need to be employed in homes for a year; one can’t get a commercial license otherwise. Also many SUVs and other cars don’t have a seat adjustment. Since the average height of these women is 5’2 it becomes difficult for them. Then there are other little riders — employers have to provide a bathroom facility. But for most part, the women drivers are able to adjust to whatever the situation since they can earn anywhere between Rs15,000 to Rs25,000 as commercial drivers. This is a big amount considering that some of the women come from homes where the maximum salary is Rs5,000 a month. So they end up being the primary breadearners for the family.
“The trend of women drivers is in the rise because many women drivers enjoy driving and hence they partner on our system. Being a driver partner is a great option for them as it offers flexible, equitable economic opportunities of the kind that did not exist for many of them. They get to choose when and for how long they want to work and can take it up while to supplement family income or pay for tuition fees. Since there is no gender based wage gap; men and women earn equally on our platform making it a lucrative option for women,” Ruchica Tomar, corporate communications lead, Uber India says.
Agrees Shanno Begum. The 40-year-old has been driving around Delhi for the past seven years. “I earn anywhere between 40,000 to 50,000 a month. This is when I driver only during peak hours — 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 9 pm. The timings help me; I can go back home to eat lunch and take a loo break. The flexible timings make it possible for me to look after my home as well,” Shanno Begum tells you.
Of course there are instances where other male drivers try to intimidate her. But this owner of a Honda Amaze says that she has learnt to ignore such people. “It has been so long since I have been driving, so I know how to deal with an awkward situation. I lock the car; I have a GPS navigation system to help me find my way on routes that I don’t know,” Shanno says.
