Female Taxi Drivers Still a Rarity
Women drivers are fairly uncommon in Kyrgyzstan, but Olga has made it her profession, driving a taxi in Bishkek.
Female Taxi Drivers Still a Rarity
Women drivers are fairly uncommon in Kyrgyzstan, but Olga has made it her profession, driving a taxi in Bishkek.
Reporter Nurlan Abdaliev interviered Olga, who used to be a factory worker and later a seamstress, but has taken to this job.
A Russian, she has found that her services are in particular demand from devout Muslim Kyrgyz women who prefer not to get into a car driven by a man.
Her colleagues at the taxi firm worry about her safety as a lone woman picking up passengers, especially as she likes to work night shifts. But she has never had a difficult customer.
She spent March 8 – International Women’s Day, a national holiday in Kyrgyzstan –n the roads. “I’ll make more money this evening; the drunks will start rolling up,” she said.
A Russian, she has found that her services are in particular demand from devout Muslim Kyrgyz women who prefer not to get into a car driven by a man.
Her colleagues at the taxi firm worry about her safety as a lone woman picking up passengers, especially as she likes to work night shifts. But she has never had a difficult customer.
She spent March 8 – International Women’s Day, a national holiday in Kyrgyzstan –n the roads. “I’ll make more money this evening; the drunks will start rolling up,” she said.
