Bus ticketing in Pakistan gets the feminine touch
By Abdullah Iqbal, Correspondent
Lahore: A company running intercity coaches has inducted women conductors into service for the first time.
The measure by a company in Wah Cantt in northern Punjab is a step ahead of some other comapanies that have been using women stewardesses to serve food and drinks to passengers in some intercity routes.
Two young women have been signed on by a bus service owned by private company MAAKS as fare collectors in Lahore
Mehro Abbas and Zile Huma, both 20, who are both matriculates, started their job last week and are serving on route number 33 of the bus service. They have been hired on a salary of about Rs 6,000 (Dh 370) per month.
Four more girls are under training and will soon begin working. The company plans to recruit 60 girls for the job.
M. Asif Khurshid, MAAKS operations manager, said the company believed in empowering women and welcomed more girls to join it. “We guarantee complete protection and a good environment to the girls,” he said.
“A male assistant is on board with them at all time and a camera is used to monitor commuters. Both female collectors have been given mobile phones to use in case of an emergency,” he said. He added that the company was considering hiring a female supervisor for the girls.
Training officer Muhammad Afzal Cheema said their training included learning about traffic laws and dealing with customers. He said the girls under training were “doing very well”.
Abbas and Huma are not only confident about the job, but determined to be the first female public transport drivers.
“Women should enter every field,” said a confident Abbas.“We have received great feedback from commuters, especially women and old men,” said Huma.
“This is a nice experience. All women should be brave enough to take up any kind of job,” they said. “We want to set an example to society.”