- Title: Women join taxi service as drivers in Pakistan
- Date: 7th December 2016
- Summary: AZIZ GETTING INTO CAR FOR TRIAL RUN VARIOUS OF AZIZ DRIVING AZIZ PICKING UP PASSENGER, MIR RAZA MOHAMMAD, MANAGER IN A PHARMACEUTICAL FIRM DURING TRIAL RUN MOHAMMAD GETTING INTO CAR VARIOUS OF AZIZ DRIVING AZIZ SPEAKING TO COLLEAGUE IN OFFICE OF TAXI SERVICE (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) WOMAN CAB DRIVER, AASIA ABDUL AZIZ SAYING: "This is a respectable job. If you have your own car, you can do this job during the spare time that you have, when your children are out. In my opinion, it is not only a means of income, it is also a respectable way of earning a living." AZIZ SPEAKING TO COLLEAGUE VARIOUS OF AZIZ DRIVING FOR TRIAL RUN MOHAMMAD GETTING OUT OF CAR (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) PASSENGER IN WOMAN-DRIVEN CAB, MIR RAZA MOHAMMAD, SAYING: "If women can drive their personal vehicles, they can do it on a commercial basis also and people will appreciate it, because they have come out of their houses and are driving their vehicles as a respectable source of income for the futures of their children. If they are utilizing their vehicles in this way, there is nothing wrong about that and people will appreciate it." VARIOUS OF CAR DRIVING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) WOMAN CAB DRIVER, AASIA ABDUL AZIZ SAYING: "When people start accepting something; when our public realizes that women can do a certain job and are doing it in commendable manner, then I think it will not be so difficult. Progress never stops. It is said that there is lack of education in Pakistan, but according to my assessment, I see people here working very hard, in every possible way." LAHORE, PAKISTAN (DECEMBER 6, 2016) (REUTERS) ZEHRA ALI, A CAREEM TAXI DRIVER WALKING TOWARDS HER CAR ALI'S HAND SEARCHING FOR PASSENGER'S ADDRESS ON GOOGLE MAP ON MOBILE PHONE/ VOICE OF TRAINER GIVING HER INSTRUCTIONS ALI DRIVING UP TO PASSENGER WAITING ON ROADSIDE PASSENGER GETTING INTO CAR ALI FILLING DESTINATION ADDRESS OF PASSENGER INTO HER MOBILE PHONE VARIOUS OF ALI DRIVING THROUGH STREETS WITH PASSENGER (SOUNDBITE) (English) GENERAL MANAGER CAREEM LAHORE, AHMED USMAN, SAYING: "Fifty one percent of the population in Pakistan comprises of females. We are a big believer in terms of women empowerment, and we want to give women the same opportunities and the same chance that men have of leveraging our platform to generate healthy income. And I think it’s a great opportunity for females across Pakistan." FAIZA NAZAR, A CAREEM "CAPTAIN" PICKING UP A PASSENGER NAZAR TAKING PASSENGER ON TRIAL RUN PASSENGER PAYING NAZAR
- Embargoed: 22nd December 2016 10:16
- Keywords: women drivers Pakistan taxi cab service
- Location: KARACHI/ LAHORE, PAKISTAN
- City: KARACHI/ LAHORE, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Reuters ID: LVA0035BVW4ZP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Aasia Abdul Aziz, a 46-year-old widow in Karachi who has two grown-up daughters, has joined a taxi service that previously only hired male drivers.
In Pakistan, cab drivers are mostly male, and the profession is not seen to be viable for women in the conservative country where women account for only 22 percent of the workforce.
But Careem, a multinational transportation network company which launched a new fleet of seven taxi drivers in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore on Wednesday (December 7), is aiming to change that mentality and give women an additional source of income.
While the fleet so far is small, Careem says dozens of applicants are on the waiting list to be trained on the service that operates on app-based booking.
"This is a respectable job. If you have your own car, you can do this job during the spare time that you have, when your children are out. In my opinion, it is not only a means of income, it is also a respectable way of earning a living," said Aziz who dropped off several passengers during a trial run in Karachi on Tuesday (December 6).
The women taxi drivers are required to have their own car, but are given flexible working hours.
The service was met with approval from a regular Careem user, Mir Raza Mohammad, a pharmaceutical manager, who said he was surprised to see a female driver pulling up at next to his building.
"If women can drive their personal vehicles, they can do it on a commercial basis also and people will appreciate it, because they have come out of their houses and are driving their vehicles as a respectable source of income for the futures of their children. If they are utilizing their vehicles in this way, there is nothing wrong about that and people will appreciate it," he said.
While met with approval by men, Aziz said she would like to start with female passengers first to "get comfortable" before taking on male passengers.
Launched in Dubai, Careem has become a basic tool for those in need of transportation in 44 cities across 10 countries. It now claims over 6 million registered users in just about four years.
"Fifty one percent of the population in Pakistan comprises of females. We are a big believer in terms of women empowerment, and we want to give women the same opportunities and the same chance that men have of leveraging our platform to generate healthy income. And I think it's a great opportunity for females across Pakistan," Ahmed Usman, General Manager Careem Lahore, said.
Careem started operating in the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Lahore in October 2015 and later began service in the capital Islamabad. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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