Women-only ‘Pink Taxis’ to be available from 23rd

Paxi Pakistan also introduces ‘Paxi Taxis’ to travel with family and friends,and ‘Bike Taxis’ for short distances

Noor Jehan reverses a pink minivan, parks the vehicle and disembarks smiling at the many camerapersons requesting her to hold the steering wheel again. She accedes to the request.

Noor, one of the first few women to become “pilots” for the ‘Pink Taxi’, has no qualms about men snapping photos and shooting videos because she is sure it would help women travel without fear.

Commencing on March 23, the Pink Taxis would not only be driven by women but also pick up only female customers, who could avail the service through a smartphone application, a text message, a phone call or even by hailing it.

“I started driving around three years ago and was responsible for picking up children from school,” said Noor. “A friend told me about this [the ‘Paxi Pakistan’] initiative so I decided to try my luck and got in. I think we need such exclusivity because most women think thrice before getting in a vehicle driven by a man owing to their fear of harassment. On the contrary, they would be quite comfortable if a woman is driving it.”

Breaking the stereotype of women unable to do parallel parking, one of the pilots did it perfectly. Noor recalls that she had learnt driving from her deceased father’s friend who had lost a leg. “He taught me how to drive a car with a manual transmission. I admit it was difficult, but I was able to overcome my anxiety and drive smoothly on the roads of this city.”

Ambreen Sheikh, who looks after the Paxi service together with her husband Zahid Sheikh, said the facility was much needed in the city. However, the timings for the Pink Taxis are from 7am to 6pm, which means that women, especially those who work past these hours, would be unable to benefit from it after 6pm.

But Noor feels that if the customer response is satisfactory and if the company permits them, she won’t mind getting rides after 7pm, as long as it’s only women.

Another pilot, Farzana Taqi, said the service would not only help working women but also broaden the options for young women who wish to go out with friends. “Women tend to rely on men in their house when they wish to go out, and I think such services would help them break out of this habit. It’s high time that we rely on ourselves instead of the men in our lives.”

While Farzana and Noor stood at one end, the pilot Kiran Rao seemed quite enthusiastic about the launch and confidently introduced herself as a student pursuing civil engineering at the Government Polytechnic Institute (Women) in Landhi.

“I learnt driving from my father,” said Kiran, “and have been driving for some time now. He was the one who encouraged me to join this. Although it won’t be easy for me to manage my studies with this, I think I’d be able to pull it off by working part-time.”

As of now, there are 10 Pink Taxis, which would be driven by women and be only for women. Moreover, the ‘Paxi Taxi’ can be hailed when travelling with family and friends, and the ‘Bike Taxi’ could be availed for short distances.