Things that make us smile - 1: Women taking the wheel!

This news clip in the Times of India, Mumbai edition 02 Jan makes us smile. Any initiative by the Government (state and national) toward the betterment and development of women make us go yay.

There are already several companies like Sakha cabs who have women drivers for their vehicles. Zamarrud Parveen a woman driver who works for Uber once told her passengers that she loved driving and therefore entered this profession.

Women on wheels is a school that trains women to become professional taxi drivers. Shetaxi is an initiative by the Govt of Kerala that prides itself in being the only 24*7 women-only travelling cab system.

While the private sector may choose to think out of the box, when local governments also take the initiative to promote the essence of women drivers for rickshaws, it is a progressive step for women all over the country.

The prime challenges involved in having women drivers would revolve around safety. Late night shifts would need to be mediated. And of course, if the infrastructure doesn’t support reviewing passengers, then this would affect the way women drivers work.

Platforms like Uber, try to ensure passenger safety by inculcating SOS buttons on the app, which when pressed means the passenger is in trouble. For women drivers coming in, the same systems would need to be modified to ensure driver safety too.

But that shouldn’t prove to be much of a challenge, in the long term. Once a system is integrated, it can run for years.

Have any other news piece that can make us smile? Send it in today!