Occupation: She Taxi operator
Please don’t call me a driver. We women, who drive She Taxi cabs, like to call ourselves as ‘She Forces’ because we believe we are a force for change. We are all essentially entrepreneurs who each own and operate our own vehicles, under the umbrella of the She Taxi service, a project initiated by Gender Park, under Social Justice Department, Government of Kerala. I am proud to say that I am one of the original She Forces. When we started out in November 2013 there were only five of us, now there are some 20 women in the district alone who drive She Taxi cabs.
And what a fantastic time it has been since then, beginning with meeting actress Manju Warrier, who is She Taxi’s brand ambassador, when she came for the official launch of the service. In fact, I was the one who drove Manju on the inaugural trip of the service. M.K. Muneer, the Minister for Minister for Social Welfare and Panchayat, also accompanied us and we were tailed by tens of media. It was nerve-wracking at first, especially with all the flashlights popping. But from moment I started the engine, it was all smooth sailing.
It has continued to be a smooth ride all this while. I have never faced any untoward incident behind the wheel to date, even though I have picked up/ dropped off customers at all times of the day and night, from all across the city and district. I have even gone on several long distance trips to places like Palakkad and Coimbatore. Everywhere I go, people recognise the distinct pink of the She Taxi cab and go out of the way to help me, especially with directions. Then again, people know that we offer safe rides, given that our cars are fitted with GPS-enabled 24x7 tracking and safety services. Prior to the start of the service all of us operators had extensive training sessions behind the wheel. We had to undergo training in self-defence and take part in personal grooming and confidence building sessions and were also taught to deal with customers.
When we started out I honestly didn’t think the service would become this popular. In the past year–and–a–half I have driven VIPs, actors, film industry personnel, bureaucrats… and hundreds of ordinary folk. We, especially, get a lot of requests to drive young women on night shifts to and from Technopark. But it’s not only women of all ages who call on us to ferry them about, we also get lots of requests from men and families too. Anyone can just dial She Taxi’s toll free number and the nearest available cab will come zipping to wherever you are. I live in Karamana [with mother, Retnavathi], so I often handle the calls that come from this area. I’ve never faced a dearth of customers and I’m making more than enough to pay off the loan I took to buy my car.
My life before I became a She Force now seems like a distant, hazy dream. I learnt driving 20 years ago when I was living in Chennai. For 18 years I was a beautician. It was my son Swaraj, who encouraged me to apply for the She Taxi service. My son, who works in Dubai with a luxury tourist transport service, is my biggest support, and he was the one who told me about Dubai’s pink taxi service at its airport and the spunky women who drive the cabs. He wanted me to be like them.
Driving a She Taxi has completely changed my life. But I don’t think of it as a job. I prefer to think of it as a social service. Now, I have become a role model for many women who dream of making a change in their lives. My advice to potential She Forces is that they should to be confident and fearless, come what may. Drive safe!
(A weekly column on the men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)
