The Women on Wheels initiative aims to empower women by providing them with the necessary skillset and means to increase their mobility and independence through the provision of free motorcycle training lessons. In 2016, the Punjab government’s Strategic Reforms Unit launched the initiative with 40 women, a number that swelled to 5,000 by the end of the campaign. The WOW Karachi program, set to launch Nov. 24, will include motorbike trainings along with road safety workshops, preparing women for driving license testing post-training as well as helping them apply for jobs once they are independently mobile.
And that is where Bykea comes in. The company said this partnership would help with its corporate social responsibility of diversity and inclusion within its ranks. The company also recently started a work from home program for Karachi-based women, allowing them to earn up to Rs. 20,000 as a customer service representative.
Bykea is aware that since most of its customers are men, a female driver partner may be uncomfortable picking up a male passenger. That is why it is encouraging female driver partners to take up delivery service through the app’s Khareedari feature and Offline Rides, which allows a Bykea driver partner to pick up potential passengers from a public place by booking a ride for them. This ensures a female driver partner is giving a ride to a female passenger.
In Punjab, 700 women were provided subsidized motorbikes under the Women on Wheels initiative. As part of the partnership, Bykea will also provide motorcycle leasing to anyone who is interested. The company is already running a successful pilot for bike leasing, and it will implement the same model for women driver partners.