Taxi drivers to undergo gender sensitisation programme

Delhi government taking steps to sensitise drivers about ensuring safety of women passengers

In the aftermath of the Uber rape case, all taxi drivers in the national capital will have to go through gender sensitisation programme to get fitness certificate for their vehicles.

The state government is taking the step to sensitise the drivers about ensuring safety of women passengers.

A senior official of transport department said that after attending the special classes, taxi drivers will be issued a certificate and then, they will have to show it at the time of getting the fitness certificate.

"From December 22, they will first have to produce certificate of attending gender sensitisation classes and then, they will be issued fitness certificate for their taxis," a senior official of transport department said.

According to the transport department, the two-hour programme will be organised for drivers of every type of taxis, including radio taxi, economy taxi and all India permit taxis.

The government is going to make it mandatory for all the taxi drivers to undergo gender sensitisation programmes to get fitness certificate for their vehicles from December 22.

"Our main aim is to sensitise all the taxi drivers about ensuring safety of women travelling in their vehicles. We have made it mandatory for every driver to attend sensitisation programme, which will last for two hours," the official said.

The department has involved some NGOs for such special classes.

The classes will be organised at Institute of Driving and Training Research (Loni Road), at Sarai Kale Khan and Driving Training Institute (Burari).

Cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav, employed with the US-based cab service, allegedly raped the 27-year-old finance company executive in the company's car.