Women-only taxis launched in Pakistan to combat sexual harassment
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A huge leap for Pakistani women has been made when the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government announced on Saturday, Jan. 27, Peshawar’s first ever Pink Taxi service, as reported by the Arab News on Jan. 28.
The Pink Taxi service, which offers women passengers safer journeys with their all-women drivers, comes after the incessant harassment that Pakistani women face when taking public transportation.
Sexual harassment on public transportation has by turns gone unnoticed and increased, because of inadequate infrastructure and lack of awareness about the impacts of sexual harassment to Pakistani women, as per the Women Safety Audit Report in Lahore, conducted by Aurat Foundation, the Women’s Development Department Punjab and United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women, Asia Pacific) in December 2017.
The Pink Taxi service will also be launched by Paxi Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd. in the hopes of empowering women and making them financially independent.
“I’m proud to be the first woman driver of this service in KP,” Tamana Khan told Arab News, her pink headscarf matching the color of her pink vehicle. “Female passengers can avail of the service through a mobile phone application, a call to customer services, or on the roadside.”
The service will hopefully be expanded to other parts of the province in due time, as drivers are being recruited and trained locally, according to Fizza Khan, media and marketing manager of Taxi Pakistan.
Although the fares will be a bit higher than the usual cab fares, the Pink Taxi service offers a range of features that promises Pakistani women peace of mind and comfortable, respectable rides.
The service comes with a tracker and an emergency button that alerts office staff; meanwhile, female drivers are required to participate in three months of self-defense training, rescue and firefighting before officially starting their job on the road. Cody Cepeda/JB
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