Every time that I have to book a cab and travel late at night, memories of the horrific rape of a young girl by the cab driver in Delhi flash before my eyes and the thought of ending up with the same fate as her sends shivers run down my spine.

As a student who travels frequently, I wish I had an option of choosing a woman cab and autorickshaw driver; I would have felt a lot more comfortable and safer, but the harsh reality is that there are hardly any commercial cab drivers and autorickshaw drivers who are women.

I strongly feel that women drivers would make women passengers, like me, feel much safer.

Training and hiring women as drivers will also benefit cab companies as this will boost their public image and profit as studies show that- women are less rash on the road, pay more heed to the traffic rules and that they are also less likely to drink and drive.

Sign my petition asking Ola Cabs and Uber to commit to training and inducting 200 women as commercial cab and autorickshaw drivers. #Cabs4Her

Five amazing changes that will benefit all of society are sure to be sparked off when both of these big brands rolls out cabs by women, for women. They are

1. More demand for cleaner public toilets
2. Cleaner, less smelly cities,
3. Better lit roads
4. Lower crime rate
5. Gender-friendly RTO and government offices.

Given how this new age new-age cab and autorickshaw aggregators are growing with millions of dollars being pumped in by investors, it is clear that they are the most capable companies to drive the change to get more women drivers on board and empower them financially. Of course, there have been many other but smaller initiatives such as She Cabs in Hyderabad, She Taxi in Kerala, Women Cabs in Bengaluru, Priyadarshini cabs and Viira Cabs in Mumbai, but these women-only companies find it a tough going due to lack of funding.

Both Ola Cabs and Uber had proposed the idea of women-driven taxis across India after the horrific rape case in Delhi in December 2014. But today, there is no significant visibility of women in commercial driving in India. There are talented and deserving women who can easily make a career out of commercial driving. All they need is a signal from Ola Cabs and Uber to show that these workplaces are conducive to their dreams.

Please sign my petition and take the first step to make the dream of seeing more women become cab drivers and autorickshaw drivers, turn into a reality by asking Ola Cabs and Uber to commit to training and inducting 200 women as commercial cab drivers. #Cabs4Her

(Photograph of Sunita Kanse, an autorickshaw driver from Mumbai whom I interviewed as part of my campaign. She is the breadwinner of her family. We need more Sunitas in Mumbai.)

Almost done! Take the next step. Share today.