Now, cabs for and by women

GURGAON: After launching 'pink autos' for women a year ago, the city is all set to experience a ride on cabs driven by female chauffeurs from Friday.
GCabs, a private cab service by Apra group, is introducing 125 cabs in the city and has appointed 35 women chauffeurs. The company expects female chauffeurs to make the female customers feel comfortable and secure.Keeping in mind the deteriorating cab service in Gurgaon and the increasing number of crimes against female commuters, the company will launch state-of-the-art cab technology. The cabs have the latest computerized communication & dispatch systems with GPS (Global Positioning System)-based online tracking. There will also be a provision of point-to-point cab sharing facility that would reduce per kilometre expense.
The chauffeurs are undergoing a rigorous training programme before they hit the road on Friday. “The women chauffeurs are experienced drivers and are being trained in road safety and traffic rules for the past two months.
Sujata Jana, a resident of tigri village who is one of the women chauffeurs said that she is not too scared to drive on the city roads as she has been doing it for almost three years now and expects her journey to be less scary as there would be only female passengers. “We have been undergoing training sessions for road safety, self defense, behaviour and also grooming sessions. It was not too difficult for me to convince my husband as he is also a driver at the international airport. He was concerned about the safety, but with all these facilities of panic button and GPS tracking, he is relieved now. Moreover, the timings are also very much convenient,” said Jana.