‘Pink Shuttle’ Helping Afghan Women to Navigate Conservative Society

Parisa Haidary, an Afghan mother who now works for an only women bus service, feels independent as she drives carefully the 10-seater ‘pink shuttle’ through the noisy clogged traffic of Kabul city. 

Haidary says in the new role she is now an attraction, at the same time she also has to face reactions from men. In an ultra-patriarchal society like Afghanistan, it is very rare to see a woman behind the wheel.

Haidary is one among the four drivers who are working for Pink Shuttle, a pilot bus programme, which employs only women to ferry female passengers and their kids across the Afghan capital.

Haidary says, “We get a lot of different reactions. Some drivers block our way, others honk at us, and some even drive alongside at the same speed when the road is clear. I love driving and am interested in my job. The only concern we have is the security situation. We have to stay fearless”.

She and her colleagues were chosen from 100 candidates, who applied for the position to drive their way through the man-dominated society.

The shuttle service is the first-of-its-kind service in Afghanistan that is helping women navigate through several challenges they face while getting around Kabul, where they suffered a lack of transport options accompanied by the risk of harassment on the streets.

Project Coordinator of the Pink Shuttle, Obaidullah Amiri says, “We have transportation problems for women. In fact, public transportation does not exist, especially for women in Kabul.”

Obaidullah Amiri said the pilot project, started in May this year also receives support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The project Pink Shuttle is being run by an Italian Non-governmental agency Nove Onlus and supported by the Only The Brave foundation, started by fashion designer Renzo Rosso.

At present the service is offered for free to a limited number of pre-recognised passengers, Nove Onlus hopes that in the next two years, the project will become financially sustainable.

Afghanistan spent an era under the Taliban. In 1996 when the extremist Taliban insurgents swept to power, women were forced to stay home and are not allowed outside. They are barred from most of the jobs and are deprived of their right to education.

In late 2001, when the militants were toppled and a US-backed government took over the reign of Afghanistan, gender equality was enshrined in the Afghan constitution, but discrimination is still evident and Afghan women have to suffer every single day.