Smiling confidently, Miss Evelyn Peres Leynes was obviously accustomed to reactions like mine. Sensing my thoughts, she assured me that I hadn’t gotten into a pink cab. Once my fears of going colour blind were quelled, I couldn’t resist asking a million questions about how she ended up in such a male dominated profession.
Like most expatriates, Evelyn came to the United Arab Emirates five years ago seeking employment in a stable environment, to support her family back in the Philippines. After working different posts, she joined Emirates Taxi in 2010 as a driver of the pink taxis, catering exclusively to a female clientele. However, she soon realized that the demand for the regular, or yellow, cabs was significantly higher and thus she decided to switch.
She has been driving her silver cab for roughly a year and is quite content with her choice. Passengers are almost always intrigued and while she gets asked the same questions repeatedly, her enthusiasm shows that she doesn’t mind recounting her story. While she admits that her job is very stressful, physically and mentally, the thought of her three grandchildren back home leads her on.
The establishment of The Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars, also known as Trans AD, in 2007 flooded the streets of Abu Dhabi with regulated silver cars, which soon became a trusted form of public transportation. Previously, taxi services were unreliable and erratic. In 2010, Trans AD introduced the pink taxis, driven by women for female passengers. While Trans Ad currently operates over 5,000 cabs in Abu Dhabi, the available pink cabs are few.
Evelyn is part of a rare breed of women, braving the male dominated post and taking on the streets of Abu Dhabi. Currently, there are only 4 women operating yellow cabs. While she is always greeted positively by passengers, her coworkers are not as accepting. We both laugh as she recounts how sometimes, while waiting at a traffic light, she sees a fellow cab driver nearby staring at her bewildered and wild-eyed!
Having arrived to my destination, I can’t help but admire this grandmother who has deliberately chosen this difficult post, only to tackle it with an infectious smile. If you are ever lucky enough to chance upon her, you will meet a graceful woman, full of wisdom, patience and most importantly; an excellent sense of direction! And be sure to tell her I said ‘hi’.
By Sara Taher
