Karachi: Heading to her car for another day on the road, 45 year old Naila Labeed is challenging gender stereotypes in Karachi, by working as a taxi driver. She's one of a growing number of women in Pakistan who are breaking into the traditionally male dominated industry.
The drivers of taxis as well as buses were usually men until recently. But with increasing female empowerment in the country, women are now getting behind the wheel.
One such female driver is 45 year old Naila Labeed, who stays on the busy roads of Karachi for more than 12 hours a day to support her family. As the single parent of five children, Labeed learnt to drive 15 years ago, but has been driving professionally for three years.
The opportunity arose from the ride-hailing service and App 'Careem' which welcomed female drivers to its fleet in 2016.
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"It's a very tough job in our society but still I have never shied away and have taken it as a job with courage," she says, adding that most people have appreciated seeing female taxi driver like herself.
"I usually start my day around 7 in the morning and end at midnight," she explains, since it's the only source of income to look after her family. She says her salary also covers payment instalments on her car, her house rent and her children's education.
"I take it as fulltime job and take up to 18 rides a day and earn up to Rs 5000 (40 US Dollars) in a single day."
One of Labeed's passengers is Mudaser Qazi, who hails her via the Careem mobile phone App said that "It's a welcoming sign that this has been happening in Pakistan. We need to appreciate and encourage the female drivers to come on roads. Through this, the difference between males and females could be reduced," he says.
Head of Communications for Careem Pakistan, Madiha Javed Qureshi, adds "This is a life changing experience and a life changing opportunity for these women because they are coming from all walks of life... They can go anywhere with such a platform."
(Inputs from AP)
