SMTA signs MoU to train women in driving scooties

The Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) and international food chain KFC on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at a hotel in Karachi pledging to jointly launch initiatives aimed at empowering women.

The MoU was signed by SMTA Managing Director Kamal Hakim Dayo and KFC CEO Raza Pirbhai. Sindh Senior Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Inam Memon, Secretary Transport Asad Zamin and other senior officials witnessed the MoU signing.

Under the agreement, the Sindh government in collaboration with the KFC would establish training centres in all the divisional headquarters of the province to provide scooter-driving training to women.

Addressing the ceremony, Memon said the Sindh government had been taking comprehensive measures to empower women. He emphasised that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had always championed the cause of women’s rights. He recalled that the late Benazir Bhutto launched landmark initiatives such as the First Women’s Bank, Women’s Police Stations, and land distribution among landless women farmers.

The transport minister also highlighted that former president Asif Ali Zardari launched the country’s largest income support programme, which provided financial assistance to millions of women. He added that during the PPP's tenure, women were issued national identity cards and granted the right to vote.

He noted that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pledged to rebuild two million houses destroyed in recent floods, with ownership rights granted to women, a project he described as the world’s largest housing initiative.

Memon also referred to the Pink Bus project, which, according to him, was Pakistan’s first women-only public transport service. He said the bus service also garnered international media’s praise.

Building on that success, the government would now provide free Pink EV scooties to women to ensure their independence and mobility, the transport minister said. He revealed that 8,000 women had so far applied for the scooters, of whom 140 already possessed driving licences.

The KFC committed to providing training to women and covering the cost of their licences. The CEO stated that the training would be conducted at divisional headquarters across the province.

Memon assured that the bidding process for the scooter project would be transparent and that scooters would be distributed purely on merit. He also announced plans to launch a pink taxi service and confirmed that more buses, including double-decker buses, would arrive in Pakistan next month.

He added that the Sindh government had already introduced Pakistan’s first electric buses. He concluded by noting that collective efforts were now required to move the nation forward. The KFC CEO hosted a reception for the distinguished guests and expressed pride in supporting this impactful initiative. He reaffirmed the KFC’s commitment to creating employment opportunities for women and supporting their right to lead empowered and dignified lives.