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She Cabs, a cab service for women with a female driver bureau started by Hyderabad-based voluntary organisation Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham (APBHS), is gearing up to add 25 cars to its existing fleet of two by August this year, according to general secretary Vijaya Reddy.
“We have been seeing significant traction in demand. While TCS has asked for 40 vehicles to ferry their employees, Google, too, wanted an equal number of cabs. Providing such fleet is quite easy but getting women chauffeurs in large numbers is difficult,” she says.
She Cabs, a not-for-profit initiative aimed at providing safe travel for women besides nurturing entrepreneurship among them, recently started She Free Driving School to train and empower women with underprivileged backgrounds.
“At present, 25 women, including from Prajwala, a Hyderabad-based anti-trafficking organisation, are undergoing training. Our idea is make them own cars by providing subsidies and through easy financing options, and allow them to run those vehicles under the She Cabs brand,” Reddy adds.
Inspired by She Taxi, a women-owned-and-driven cab service by Gender Park, a Kerala government initiative, APBHS started She Cabs in February 2014. She Cabs are loaded with security features like GPS, an SOS button to connect to the police in cases of emergency and pepper spray cans.
“With the increasing number of cases of violence against women heightening the concerns around their security, it's important to extend safe and secure journey of women commuters,” she says, adding She Cabs has been gaining wide acceptance not just among techies but also from homemakers.
