Weekend Impressions:… Bravo! Women taxi drivers Meron Abraha, Oct 2, 2008

And sometimes you experience things a bit different than the usual, as what happened last Saturday on a taxi ride to Tiravolo in Asmara: the taxi was being driven by a woman.

The fact that the driver was a woman didn’t bother me as I had actually seen three other women driving taxis before, but the passenger on my right, who had just climbed in, was surprised to find a female driver instead of the majority male ones.

His exclamatory remarks got a conversation going on inside the taxi while the driver, glancing every now and then at her rearview mirror, ready for the obvious comments.

“You drive a little too fast for a girl, don’t you think?” he said, with a tone of voice expressing concern of safety.

“Who said women can’t drive fast. I think the problem is that men have been taken for granted as the best drivers when women are in fact more responsible,” Almaz shot back.

“Actually, it’s quite amazing to see you venture into professions that have been so far monopolized by men,” he then said.

The elderly gentleman on my left then joined the conversation and was admonishing public attitude belittling women who do men’s jobs.

“Although I have never come across a woman driving a taxi, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially to Eritreans,” he said, referring to the fact that Eritrean women fought equally with their male counterparts during the struggle.

A few years back, there were only four or five women drivers who frequented the streets of Asmara. But recently, I have seen the number growing indeed.

Elsa, who used to go to high school with me, has quite an experience in the profession. She said that the there was a general positive feedback on the part of the passengers, with some congratulating her on her courage and others showing indifference.

Taxi driving entails long working hours, including whole nights during weekends. That being the fact, the job could be harder for women but yet, if there is a will there is a way.