Taxis ‘for the women’ ‘by the women’, an initiative of Kudumbasree, will be launched in the capital city on November 1, the Kerala Piravi day. Initially ten Nano cars, modified as women-friendly taxis driven by trained women will be pressed into service.
The taxis will be permitted to conduct services only within the city limits between 8 am and 8 pm. The taxis will be white in colour and will sport the logo of Kudumbasree.
In order to manage the service, a call taxi operation centre will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram and the Kudumbasree authorities have already held talks with a Technopark firm for providing the technology for the call centre.
The cars will have global positioning system (GPS) and cameras for additional security and they will be connected to the call centre. A toll-free number will be provided to the public to avail of the taxi services.
“There is a meeting on road safety on October 22. We have got the permission for modifying the cars. The modification will be done mainly in the interiors to provide a cabin for the driver. The cars are expected to be delivered by October 22 and two days will be required for the fabrication works. The fare meters too will be installed in the taxis. We are hopeful of launching the services on November 1,” said Kudumbasree Thiruvananthapuram district mission coordinator Geetha Philip.
She said the confusion regarding the eligibility criteria for issuing the driving badges for the drivers were all cleared.
Though the services are exclusively for woman passengers, a woman accompanied by her family members will also be permitted to travel in the women-friendly taxis. The drivers can update about each trip at the call centre. However, the major target of the services will be working women who are single.
“Based on the responses to the services in Thriuvananthapuram, we will decide on introducing women-friendly services in Ernakulam,” said Kudumbasree Ernakulam district mission coordinator Tani Thomas.