26 Janauary 2006
News Makers
Qatar to have woman cabbies
- By PTI
Dubai: Qatar will soon have women taxi drivers, the second Gulf country to recruit the fairer sex in the profession. "Women will soon be driving taxis on roads of Qatar, at least those used specifically for ferrying families, female and child passengers," Ahmed Al Ansari, Marketing Manager of the state-owned firm, The Transport Co (Mowasalat), said.
So far Dubai in the UAE is the only place in the Gulf region to have women taxi drivers. They are used only for ferrying women. The firm will shortly launch a drive to recruit women interested in working as cabbies and was looking for women aged between 25 and 45.
"Preferably, they would have to be bilingual, fluent in both English and Arabic, possess a valid Qatari driving licence and with a good knowledge about the roads of Qatar," he was quoted as saying in The Peninsula newspaper.
Ahmed said women from several expatriate communities, including those from South Asia and Far East, were fluent in Arabic.