Uganda's 'Taxi Divas' Rise from Covid-19 Economy

 

The women fought with each other inside the vehicle. The driver pulled away from the hold around her neck. Then she turned to hit her attacker. She threw open the door to make her escape, ending the simulated¹ attack.

"This one is too strong for me," the attacker said, smiling and shaking her head. Then it was another woman's turn in the exercise to prepare drivers for Uganda's new all-female taxi service, Diva Taxi.

The service was developed by a local woman who lost her job at the start of the coronavirus crisis². It launched in June and has brought in more than 70 drivers. They come from every walk of life, from college students to mothers. And they hope to make good use of their used Toyota cars.

"It started off as a joke" but the idea grew more real, said company spokesperson Rebecca Makyeli. Her close friends and family supported the idea. "They said, 'Why not?' So, we called it Diva Taxi."

It is uncommon³ to find women taxi drivers in Uganda. In the socially conservative⁴ East African country, most women work on farms or find informal jobs.

The International Labor⁵ Organization has said women's jobs in developing countries will likely be hit harder than men's in the pandemic.

"I should say I was personally affected⁶ by COVID," Diva Taxi founder⁷ Gillian Kobusingye told The Associated Press. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Kobusingye was someone who traveled often. But she found herself at home with little to do as officials launched restrictions⁸ to slow the spread of the virus. For several weeks, even taxis could not operate in Uganda.

Still, Kobusingye felt hopeful. She knew that people would soon need transportation.

And she believed that a woman seeking a driving job was likely to want it more than any man. She also thought women were more dependable.

"Our ladies are extremely hardworking," she said. "They do it with one heart compared to other people, and that's the difference we have with our competitors."

Some clients, including men and women, agree.

"The divas are always on time," said Kampala-based Jemimah Bamwebaze. She is a regular user. She also feels safer being driven by a woman.

To get a job with Diva Taxi, drivers must have a car in good condition. And their cell phone must have the app that clients use. The drivers also need to have a good driving record. And they must show proof there are no issues with Interpol, the international policing organization.

With Diva Taxi, 85 percent of profits from a trip goes to the driver. That is very low pay in Uganda, but part of a plan to grow the market, Makyeli said.

Driver Donna Ochen is an accountant for U.S.-based company FedEx. Ochen was let go from her job in March. She had been "doing nothing" at home when she saw a Diva Taxi worker on television discussing jobs for women. With permission from her husband, she called the company and got the job.

"I decided⁹ to take it up" because it would be a chance for me to serve and earn (for) and support my family, Ochen said. And "it would empower me to do something for myself rather than sitting."

Another driver is college student Tracy Abola. She said her mother, a teacher, had been out of work since schools were closed in March. Abola was driving a 1998 Toyota when she learned she could make money with Diva Taxi.

"So, I decided to do something so that I can also help a bit at home," she said.

The Diva Taxi app has been downloaded at least 500 times. And each of the company's 72 drivers makes an average of 30 rides each week, Makyeli said. The company expects to have 2,000 users by the end of this year. That is a small number in Kampala, the capital city, with a population of more than 3 million. There, taxis and passenger motorcycles are the main means of transport for working people.

Every driver gets security training and a can of pepper spray, but safety remains¹⁰ a big concern.

Ochen said she drives only during the day "to avoid being caught up in any tricky¹¹ situations," including with groups that have been drinking alcohol. Even though she hopes to return to her job as an accountant, she plans to remain a Diva Taxi driver for as long as possible.

And even founder Kobusingye is sometimes a driver herself. "I can't wait to partner with every woman out there that is willing to be part of Diva Taxi."

Words in This Story

simulated – adj. not real but made to look, feel, or behave like something

diva– n. (U.S. definition) a famous and successful woman who is very attractive and fashionable

informal (jobs) – adj. jobs that are not taxed or monitored by any form of government

pandemic– n. an occurrence¹² in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

client– n.a person who pays a professional person or organization for services

app– n. a computer or cell phone program that performs a special function

pepper spray – n. a substance made from a chemical found in peppers that causes temporary blindness and pain to the nose, throat, and skin when it is sprayed on someone

1 simulated   

a.伪装的，模仿的

参考例句：

• The effects of weathering can be simulated in the laboratory. 在实验室里可以模拟各种天气产生的影响。
• She showed simulated enthusiasm towards us. 她向我们表示了虚假的热情。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

4 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

12 occurrence   

n.发生，出现，事件，发生的事件

参考例句：

• Two things account for its occurrence.发生这件事的原因有两个。
• For a military commander，winning or losing a battle is a common occurrence.胜败乃兵家常事。