Maharashtra gets into first gear for all-women cab permits

The first day of the New Year has brought cheer to women hoping to taking up taxi-driving as a means of livelihood. About a month-and-half of reserving driving permits for women, the state transport department on Wednesday came out with tenders to issue these permits.

Joint transport commissioner SB Sahasrabuddhe said on Wednesday that they have come out with the tender for permits for ladies’ special fleet taxis.

These taxis will be used to ferry women, children and senior citizens as commuters. “Women commuters especially are bound to feel comfortable and safer while hiring taxis driven by women.

Of course, this will also help the woman driver earn her livelihood,” said Sahasrabuddhe.

On November 20 last year, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had earmarked 100 permits for women drivers of 7,844 permits that will be issued in the coming months.

As per the fine print of the tenders, discount in permit fees will given to women. They will have to pay Rs1.5 lakh for a permit as compared to Rs3 lakh which is for drivers in the general category.

The permits will be issued to companies operated by women and which employ women for the job.

Head of the Mumbai Taximen’s Union, AL Quadros, welcomed the decision to come out with the tenders. “Be it women or men, the point is to have taxis on Mumbai’s streets. The only point that should be observed while issuing permits to women is that one should verify that the woman driver should have a a taxi driver badge, meaning she qualifies for the job.”