Hail a Forsche! Cab service for women, by women
English speaking graduates will drive you as you do your nails or curl up with a magazine
Lekha Agarwal
Mumbai, March 7: The ubiquitous black-and-yellow Mumbai taxi just got a dash of pink. For all you ladies frustrated with the regular cabbie who tries to take you for “a ride”, there will be a more refined option soon -the “Forsche”.
A rent-a-taxi service, the Forsche will be exclusively for women, by women, with women clad in lavender tunics taking the driving seat. And its restricted area—men banned. Like it is with Dubai’s “Women’s Taxi”, UK’s “Pink Ladies” and Moscow’s “Pink Taxi”.
“It’s not a women’s liberation thing,” says founder Revathi Roy, about the company scheduled to launch on International Women’s Day tomorrow. “It’s pure commerce,” smiles the sharp entrepreneur, who agrees that the significance of March 8 “complements her concept.”
So, while the company will be launched on Thursday, the cab service—with its shiny silver-white cars, purple-pink logo, and intimate feminine luxuries like women’s magazines, larger mirrors, and a mini cosmetic kit—will be rolled out later in the month.
And the mantra for phase one is simple—“no stress, no risk” says Roy, who wants to test drive the model prior to launching a round-the-clock service. For now, the service will be available only between 8 am-8 pm.
It’s not only safety concerns that have prompted the move, “it’s a need,” says the 47-year-old businesswoman. “When I sit in a taxi, I am not comfortable—it’s everything from hygiene to the driver gawking at you in the mirror,” she adds. So, it will be an acute contrast in the new taxi fleet—English speaking women graduates driving you around the city, as you paint your nails or curl up with a magazine.
The most important task was the choosing the drivers - selecting 18 from 182 applicants. Apart from driving skill, which had to be top class—Roy is a former rally driver—familiarity with the city and road sense were other criteria.
“The quality of driving had to be the best,” says Roy, who handpicked the 18. From the logistics to financing, the last two months have been hectic though exuberant, as she fine-tuned her business model. “Clients can book the cab for half day (8am-2pm) or full day,” adds Roy. While the daylong pampering could leave you poorer by Rs 4,000, the rates are negotiable, she adds.
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