In the drivers seat

SAMINA BHOKIYA had for long an obsession: she wanted to be a driver. Not only was it unusual for a girl born into a traditional Muslim family and living in a tight-knit chawl to have such an ambition, but it was rather remarkable that anyone from this background would even long to drive in the chaotic, traffic-jammed and polluted streets of Mumbai. It seemed like her dream would remain another unrealised childhood fantasy. But Samina managed not only to learn to drive, but also to own a car.

All the men in my family my father, my brothers are drivers. Ive always had this passion to learn to drive. Now I have my own taxi and am earning on my own, doing what I have always dreamed of, says Samina, a 22-year-old divorcee with a three-year-old daughter.

Its all thanks to my familys support. One day my mother came back from a local Congress party meeting and told me that they were looking for women interested in joining a taxi service called the Priyadarshini Taxi Service. I applied and was selected to be in the first batch of 30 drivers, says Samina.

The taxi service was started in November 2007 by Susieben Shah, a Mumbai Congress leader, to empower young women belonging to low-income families. We are not asking for any concessions as women. We are training women to face the world, says Susieben, a leader of the Stree Shakti Kendra, a trust that floated the taxi service.

We cater to all clients, but our focus is on women. We plan to have a tie-up with call centres, corporates and hotels to ferry their women employees and customers, says Susieben. There is a huge demand for our cab service. Sometimes we are forced to decline clients as our fleet strength is limited. That is why we want to expand and encourage others to start such services, she says.

The selected candidates of Priyadarshini Taxi Service undergo a three-month training in driving, car maintenance and entrepreneurship, and courses in self-defence, Art of Living and tourist destinations. The Stree Shakti Kendra has arranged loans at low interest rates in order to enable women to buy their own taxis, so that they are ready to hit the road immediately after training. Recently, the trust tied up with sponsors for posting advertisements on its cars. The revenue from the advertisements would be enough to cover the driver-owners monthly interest payment. Thus, the trust has also taken care of the loan burden.

Priyadarshini allows the drivers to keep their earnings and run their own business. We are both chalak [driver] and malak [owner], says Samiksha Deshmukh, a 23-year-old housewife who lives with her husband and in-laws in a tiny room in Goregaon, a western suburb of Mumbai. Her mother-in-law convinced her to apply to Priyadarshini.

The taxi service has a central telephone hotline from where work is assigned to each driver. We never refuse a call whatever time of the day it may be because women rely on us for their safety. We cannot let them down. My husband is also a driver, so he understands and supports me fully. I used to keep asking him to teach me driving, but we never got round to it. I never imagined I would have my own car, Samiksha says.

Earlier, I was a very different person. I was very shy and quiet. After the training, my confidence has grown. I am able to talk to strangers. My hopes and ambitions have also grown. I have become more independent, she says. This transformation of a coy bride into an empowered woman is mission accomplished for the Stree Shakti Kendra.

It is the same with Samina. Ever since she quit her job at an opticians shop to become a driver, she is enjoying a new-found freedom.

My schedule is in my control. I dont have to fear any boss. Im also earning more, so I dont have to think twice before buying things I want. Earlier, I had a fixed salary. Now, I have money coming in every day, says Samina.

Until now, women worked in cottage industries or sold papads and detergents to make a living. This is something different for women. This job [driving] gets women out of the house to face the real world. Meeting different people and facing problems builds confidence, says Sushma Hiwale (34), who runs her graphic design business along with her niece after she finishes with her taxi driving. I get to learn a lot just by talking to people. Today, a businessman from Delhi was telling me about wines. Yesterday, I was driving Italians who wanted to promote Bollywood shooting in Italy. Every new day is a new experience.

Driving has helped many of these women explore their own city. I am going to places in my city that I never knew existed. I went to Worli Fort last month. Ive lived here all my life but had never seen it. Ive seen markets and industries that I wouldnt think of going to. Earlier I only knew the main roads, now Im getting to know the bylanes, says Sushma.

Priyadarshinis drivers, clad in pink kurtas and black jeans, are traffic stoppers attracting curious smiles from people on the road. Just a few days ago, I drove some employees from Indian Oil to a Womens Day meeting. They asked me to wait outside for a few minutes. Then, they invited me in and insisted that I join the function. They called me on stage and gave me a bouquet, a gift hamper and a cheque for Rs 500, says Samina. Its very encouraging when our work is appreciated. Our clients show us the way forward.

Several people stop me and ask me about the taxi service, says Samiksha. Once a traffic cop stopped me at a signal. I started worrying about what I had done wrong. But, he said that he just flagged me over to tell me that he had read about us in the newspaper and to congratulate us on doing great work. I was so relieved.

Besides Priyadarshini, Mumbai has another womens taxi service called Forsche. It is run by a private company in which the women drivers are not the owners of the vehicles.

Priyadarshinis drivers have passed the most difficult test on Mumbais roads escaping unscathed from the clutches of the traffic cops. After that, youre ready to face anything.

Dionne Bunsha