You Go Girl: Hit Up These Women-Only Cab & Auto Services For A Safe Ride

Now Kolkata has a fleet of cars to ferry you around the city with women at the wheel. This is part of the Women On Wheels campaign spearheaded by Delhi-based Azad Foundation which works with young women living in slums and resettlement colonies. We love that the WoW programme provides training to help these women become self-sustaining professional drivers. Once qualified, the women drivers are offered employment opportunities in either long-term private chauffeur placements or on-call- chauffeur services. Under the programme the women trainees also acquire citizenship document and accident insurance, they open a bank account, obtain a uniform and a mobile phone too.

Another fleet of women drivers can be found ferrying around female passengers in candy pink auto rickshaws. Look out for them on the Hazra-Tollygunge route. More routes will be added soon.

The commendable WOW programme is a great place to help assist women become self-employed. So, if you happen to know of any women in dire need of a job, between 18 to 35 years of age, coming from an economically poor background and who has received education at least till class 8 then you can call 9051606189 to get her enrolled in the campaign. She should possess a valid voter’s ID card which is a must for eligibility.