‘She Taxi’ proves a big hit in Kerala

By Ashraf Padanna/KochiShe Taxi, India’s first 24x7 women-only cab service launched in Kerala, where women outnumber men, has proved a big hit within just five months of its launch.The state-supported project has generated more than Rs1.5mn in revenue during this period thanks to an increase in women passengers looking for safe travel options within and outside cities.The service owned and operated by women was first introduced in the state capital Thiruvanathapuram in November with an initial fleet of five cars. Now, the fleet size has increased to 20 providing safe ride to some 9,000 women.Kochi will be the second city in Kerala to have the facility when Chief Minister Oommen Chandy flags off a fleet of 15 custom-made taxis on May 19.She Taxi is the first off-campus project initiated by the Gender Park, established by Kerala’s Department of Social Justice to unify all activities aimed at attaining gender equity and safety.Social Justice Minister M K Muneer said the taxis will soon be introduced in Kozhikode and in a phased manner in other locations. Hyderabad and Bangalore too have expressed interest in replicating the She Taxi model.“The project has achieved remarkable progress both in terms of popularity and earnings in the last six months. We started this business model to help women entrepreneurs earn a monthly income of at least Rs20,000, but the incomes are comfortably above that level,” Muneer said.Actress and dancer Manju Warrier is the goodwill ambassador of the ‘she taxis’, which has become a boon for women working at odd hours, especially in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry as the service can be booked via mobile phones and online.“She Taxi has opened up a whole new avenue of employment for women,” said K M Abraham, additional chief secretary in charge of the department of social justice. “A sector like transport is not something that women entrepreneurs readily enter into, but the massive public response to the She Taxi has changed that. Once the service expands to other cities it is going to transform the lives of thousands of women in Kerala.”