Pink taxis will be launched in Pakistan to stop sexual harassment faced by women travellers.
The latest cab service, Paxi cab, driven by women is set to run on Thursday, 30 March 2017 in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial hub.
The service will not only be available by hailing on the streets but also through mobile apps and SMS. According to Al Jazeera, the chief executive of the Paxi cab, Ambreen Sheikh, said, “Our pilots (drivers) wear a pink scarf and black coat as their uniform. They include housewives, young women and students.”
This initiative serves as a response to Karachi Urban Resource Centre’s 2016 report stating that 55 percent of women who used public transport did not feel safe commuting, noting the eastern area of Karachi as the most unsafe.
Noor Jehan, a Paxi driver, worked as a maid and then as a driver before she went in to sign up to be a Paxi pilot. She felt that this kind of cab service was needed since women in Karachi in particular “think thrice” before getting into a man-driven automobile.
In the next three to four months, Sheikh added that the Paxi service will be carried out in the cities of Lahore and Islamabad as well.
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