'Women only' cabs soon in Gurgaon

'Women only' cabs will soon be a reality in Gurgaon.

The initiative is part of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed on the occasion of International Women's Day on Sunday by Deputy Commissioner T.L. Satyaprakash with private firms to ensure safety and security of women in this Haryana city bordering Delhi.

One MoU was signed for introducing 'women only' cabs and another for launching a mobile safety app.

A third initiative was the formation of a new cadre of Gurgaon Youth Volunteers, where nursing students would render services in maternity wards.

The MoU for 'women only' cabs was signed with Maruti Suzuki's regional manager for NCR Manu Inderjeet Singh, Eco rent-a-car CEO Rajesh Loomba and Mind Your fleet.com co-founder Malvinder Singh.

Under the MoU, over 50 women drivers will be given training by the Maruti Suzuki-operated Institute for Driving and Traffic Research.

The district administration will help the women drivers get licences and the cab companies would employ them.

The 'Mobile SOS App' for women's safety has been developed by Jarviz, a Gurgaon-based company.

Navin Chaudhry, head of sales and marketing in Jarviz, said the software installed in smartphones will help women in an emergency by tracking their location via GPS.

Even if the user is unable to take out the mobile phone, alerts through SMS and emails can be sent via pre-set and auto configuration.

The app sends automated alerts to the workplace as and when the woman employee reaches home.