Growing taxi company frees Iranian women from convention
1:51 p.m. Friday, July 27, 2007
It's a sight rarely seen in Iran.
Not just two women trying to fix a car, but two drivers for a new cab company.
Their motto is simple: only women drivers, only women passengers.
"There are still men who will not allow their wives to go outside unless it's with another woman. So they trust us," said Taxi Driver Elaheh Gholi.
The company's six months old, and there are still lessons to be learned.
The cabs include working a GPSs navigation system. These women are the first taxi drivers in the country to use the device.
Right now there are about 250 taxis like this on the road. But things are going so well they're expanding to 2,000 in the next six months.
At central dispatch the calls keep coming in. Here almost every employee is a woman, except for the boss.
"We predict we will succeed not just in Iran but eventually I predict in Dubai, Turkey and Syria," said Project Director of Women's Taxi Mohsen Orouji.
Success has come in part because of the service, but also because of the job opportunity, with so many women eager to make money.
Tajmah and the others make about $30 a day, but often women try to work overtime.
"There is nothing bad about this job. You have variety and you see different people every day," said Taxi Driver Masoumeh Amereh.
And the one thing the drivers hear over and over again is how important this service is -- good news for the growing number of women cabbies.
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