The Telangana state Government Giving a sense of security and comfort to women commuters She Taxi Services set to hit Hyderabad roads From Feb 2015.
The She Taxis are installed with GPS live tracking system, SOS (crisis) button to alert nearby police stations, a dedicated call centre facility, pepper spray etc. all the safety materials would be provided for protection.
The Committee on safety and security of women and girls in Telangana State has taken up a range of issues related to safety of women during travel including modalities for operating She Taxis, one of the recommendations of the committee.
The Ranga Reddy deputy transport commissioner C. Ramesh said “Currently, the women drivers are enrolled in a one-month program at the Maruti Training School in Himayathnagar where they are undergoing training through both in-house simulator and on-road practice.”
The women drivers are being trained in vehicle maintenance and repair competence too and plans are under consideration to include self defence sessions. Reportedly, the Telangana RTA has finalised the model of the cars to be Swift, Dzire, vdi.
The She taxis would be plying in the airport region and the IT corridor, primarily catering to women passengers. Whether men would be allowed to hire the cabs is an issue that will be decided at the next meeting of the committee. However, it is unlikely that men would be allowed to use the taxis. Though 50 women drivers were supposed to be selected from Hyderabad and Cyberabad, only 11 of 47 applicants have turned up to avail of the scheme thus far.
The proposed scheme is already creating much enthusiasm among some of the women drivers in Hyderabad. “I used to drive cars for private cab services previously, and I used to drop schoolchildren home. Now, I have applied for the She Taxi driver licence. I am eager to drive She Taxis, which will ferry only women passengers,” said K Sitha Lakshmi, who approached RTA officials to enquire about the scheme.
