KOZHIKODE: Be the change makers. Screams a tagline on the website of the She Taxi service, a pet women empowering project of the state government. But the women cabbies in the state are yet to experience a change in their own life. Many are mulling to quit the taxi service as their struggle has been so immense since its launch.
They are facing a double-headed menace. 1 There are few takers for the She Taxi in Kozhikode and Kochi. The situation is relatively better in Thiruvananthapuram. 2 The EMIs of their car loans have been pending from months together. Several drivers have availed loan from the Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC). Some others with no assets to pledge have taken loan from private banks.
KSWDC had given loan to the beneficiaries at 8 percent interest rate over a repayment period of six years. Forget EMIs, the women drivers are struggling to eke out a decent living through She Taxi. Kozhikode has four She Taxis. The drivers said they hardly earn Rs 4,000 per month and they need Rs 14,000 to pay the EMI. “Thirteen per cent from the profit has to be paid to the call centre which directs the calls to us. Eight percent has to be allocated to repair works and interest rates. After all these, we do not get anything for ourselves,” said a She Taxi driver. “Now, the loan is due by several months and I got a call from KSWDC saying the property will be attached if I fail to pay the loan amount”, she said. “The role of KSWDC is restricted to providing financial assistance.
The Gender Park administration should study the drawbacks and based on which measures should be taken to revamp the service,” said Faisal Muneer, regional manager of SWDC, Kozhikode. Fleet operations are handled by Technoparkbased Rain Concert Technologies Ltd and a round-the-clock call centre has been set up for the purpose. “The calls are attended by the call centre in Thiruvananthapuram and this delays service response time.
We have been receiving complaints from ustomers n this regard,” said a She Taxi driver in Kozhikode. Drivers in Kochi too have sob stories to tell. “Though the project was touted as first-of-its kind in the country, the state govt or the department concerned has not made any follow- ups. No one has bothered to address our problems,” said a She Taxi driver in Kochi.
Out of 14 cabs, only three are running regularly in Kochi. In Kochi, the project has also been hit by the emergence of online cab operators. The tariff of online taxi companies is Rs 7 per km and they operate on point- to-point basis. But the minimum charge for She Taxi is Rs 250 because the customers are required to pay for the return trip as well. She Taxi services also face resistance from the local taxi operators. Recently, a She Taxi driver was allegedly harassed by traditional taxi drivers when she went to drop a woman pass eng e r t the Kozhikode railway station on December 19, 2016.