By our reckoning, around 40% of inDrive’s passengers are female, yet there are relatively few women drivers working through mobility apps. We want to change this, for several reasons.
For one thing, some women may prefer traveling with a female driver, and we’d like all our passengers to feel secure and comfortable.
For another, using our app offers a flexible way to earn income: you set your own times, and accept only the rides you want. This can be especially useful to working mothers (as well as students and anyone else who needs a financial boost but has existing commitments).
And, of course, it’s about equality. Perhaps there are fewer women drivers earning through mobility apps simply because they’re less interested: if so, all well and good. But in many cases, other factors may prevent them from seizing this opportunity.
For example, if financial or other issues deter women from learning to drive, they obviously won’t be able to access this opportunity.
To tackle this particular roadblock, we recently launched a project in Peru in partnership with Lady’s Car, helping 150 women to get their driving licenses.
Our hope is that this will be fundamentally empowering, whether or not they go on to work as drivers. Think of all the possibilities that it opens up! In Peru, where some 28.7% of women over 14 years of age do not have their own income (compared with 13% of men), this could be life-changing indeed.
We believe it’s a valuable project, and one that could make a real difference to many lives. Onwards and upwards!
