'She Taxi' service launched in Kerala

"She Taxi", a service for women travellers and operated by women entrepreneurs, was launched in the Kerala capital Tuesday.

The "She Taxi" is a 24x7 service that can be booked through mobile phones and online.

Women travelling alone or with families can dial the customer care centre which will provide them with a unique identification code and the vehicle number on their mobile phones.

This is the first initiative of the Gender Park, an institution newly established under the state's department of social justice to work towards gender equity.

Popular actress Manju Warrier, the brand ambassador of "She Taxi", flagged off the service at a ceremony here.

What makes "She Taxi" such a wonderful project is that it is a means of livelihood for a set of women and a safe and secure mode of transport for another, the actress said.

She also urged more women entrepreneurs to come forward to operate the taxis.

The actress said it was a much-needed service for the ever-growing number of women employees in sectors such as IT, media, travel and hospitality who have to work and travel at odd hours.

The first five women drivers of the taxi fleet received the keys from Warrier.

Associates of the "She Taxi" project are Maruti Suzuki Ltd, Kerala State Women's Development Corporation (KSWDC) which will provide financing support for the entrepreneurs and Technopark-based Rain Concert Technologies, which provides the much needed IT support.

Maruti Suzuki Ltd is supplying the taxis and providing training to the women drivers.

The "She Taxis" come with multiple security systems, which include a control room that tracks the taxis in real-time using GPS, personal emergency alert switches for drivers and passengers inside the car and a similar safety alert app is installed on the mobile phones of the women drivers.