Home

'Women are simply better drivers'

Posted on November 25, 2008 by Natalie McGarry

It's hard to find a woman at the wheel of a taxi cab in the West, but a new business is making it a familiar sight in an unlikely place: Iran.

The BBC reports on a taxi service "run by women, for women."

All of the company's drivers and dispatchers are women. (Unlike neighboring Saudi Arabia, it is not illegal for women to drive in Iran.) Many are widows or divorcees that need the income. In addition, 70 percent of the drivers are purchasing their cabs, paying in installments over five years. Drivers are even "given lessons in basic car maintenance and such essentials as how to change a burst tire."

The company's initial fleet of 10 cars has grown to 700. They shuttle about 2,500 people a day.

"I feel safer in a woman's taxi, from all points of view," said one customer. "A lot of the men drivers are young and impatient, and they're not disciplined. Women are simply better drivers."

Bookmark/Search this post with:

Comments

Post new comment

Your email address is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <blockquote>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options


Stories We're Watching
Subscribe

For India’s Newly Rich Farmers, Limos Won’t Do

International Herald Tribune - Fri, 03/19/2010 - 00:48
Land acquisition for expanding cities and industry has created pockets of instant wealth, creating a new economic caste in India: nouveau riche farmers.

Africa Could Join High-Speed Science Network

All Africa - Thu, 03/18/2010 - 12:45
African science ministers are hoping to extend a high-speed fiber optic network — currently linking Egypt to the northern hemisphere — to other countries in Africa.

Vision for Africa

Daily Nation - Thu, 03/18/2010 - 12:30
Africa’s economic future and the challenge of uniting people and nations drew eminent politicians and scholars into a historic public debate in Nairobi on Thursday.

'Quiet Corruption' Hurting Africa's Poor

San Francisco Chronicle - Mon, 03/15/2010 - 09:22
A World Bank report says teachers and other public servants who don't show up for work are fueling "quiet corruption" throughout Africa that is disproportionately hurting the continent's poor.

Industrial Output Up; Hopes For Factories Grow

NPR - Mon, 03/15/2010 - 08:45
Industrial production edged up 0.1 percent in February, beating expectations and marking the eighth straight monthly increase.
See all Breaking News >

Recent comments

  • "Esther, Wow! Thank you for commenting. One of the best things (among many) about applying these controlled random..."
    by Jill Scantlan
    on A 'Rising Star' in Economics
  • "Thanks for this article. One small correction though. What the post refers to as "my best known work" (the work on..."
    by Esther Duflo
    on A 'Rising Star' in Economics
  • "This is so sad, and at the same time so true. We talk so much about terrrorism on news that we forget about poverty and..."
  • "Microfinance is amazing. Allowing millions to send their children to university in order to "break the chain" and give..."
  • "UPDATE: Following an investigative report on BBC NewsNight, British Parliament has now passed a bill that will..."

Countries

An initiative of Mercy Corps
“You must be the change
you wish to see in the world”
— Mahatma Gandhi
Learn more about Mercy Corps >

Efficiency

Over the last five years, more than 89% of Mercy Corps' resources have been allocated directly to programs

Excellence

America's premier charity evaluator gives Mercy Corps four stars in organizational efficiency. Click here to learn more.

High Value

Every dollar you donate to Mercy Corps helps us secure $11.16 in donated food and other critical supplies.

Mercy Corps — Dept. W — 45 SW Ankeny — Portland, OR 97204
 All original content Copyright © 2009 Mercy Corps. Quoted and linked content is property of the creator(s). Mercy Corps will not sell, rent or trade your personal information.