AIWEFA-Professional Cab Driver (OLA Project) -2015

Under AIWEFA’s patented “Project KAUSHAL- Livelihoods for Women” (January 2015), AIWEFA entered into an agreement. With OLA CABS to mobilize women to obtain short term training followed by employment as professional cab- drivers. The eligibility criteria for the candidates selected for the training were:

Gender: Female; Age: 20-45 yrs.; Class X passed; Permanent Car Driving License for one year.

All the selected candidates were required to;

  • Have undergone a training in safe car driving for 40-45 days (one hour daily) before procuring the permanent license.
  • Have attended a 3 week Sensitisation Programme at AIWEFA. This module (designed by AIWEFA) was meant to sensitise the candidates in passenger etiquette, digital technology, tourist trade, your health & image, entrepreneurial and inspirational classes and personal safety measures.

The complete training process could be envisaged as follows:

  1. Mobilisation of women
  2. Inspirational/motivational/entrepreneurial module
  3. Self defence training by professional trainers.
  4. 4-5 days on road training on single control cars with mentors
  5. Sensitisation programme at AIWEFA
  6. Facilitatation for Commercial License by OLA Cabs.
  7. Take up jobs as OLA Cabs as women drivers. For women.
  8. Refresher Course

To mobilize candidates AIWEFA had put posters at many strategic places, like colleges, NGOs, public & market places, also distributed flyers and held workshops.The task was not easy as most of  those having a permanent car driving license did not want  to become  commercial cab drivers and those who aspired to be the cab-drivers did not have the permanent license for one year.

The attrition rate of women who were selected by AIWEFA, further trained by OLA Cabs was very high at 70% to 80%, may be because of lack of “AIWEFA ‘s SENSAITIZATION PROGRAMME” which  could not be held due to restraint from spending time and funds for the trainees on part of the sponser.

However, AIWEFA is in touch with women trained by MSIL last year and are having permanent license for one year now, if they are interested to be professional cab-drivers with OLA-CABS.