Menu

Sakha Consulting Wings

Overview

Sakha Consulting Wings is a social enterprise based in Delhi, India, that operates a chauffeur and taxi service in which women drivers provide transport exclusively for women and family passengers. The initiative is among the earliest dedicated women-only cab services in India and is closely associated with efforts to expand non-traditional employment opportunities for women in urban transport.

Name Sakha Consulting Wings
Type Social enterprise / taxi service
Sector Urban transport, women's employment
Headquarters Delhi, India
Service area National Capital Region
Clientele Women and families
Drivers Women only

Background

Sakha emerged from work undertaken by the Azad Foundation, a Delhi-based non-profit that trains women from low-income backgrounds, including survivors of domestic violence, as professional chauffeurs through its "Women on Wheels" programme. Azad Foundation focuses on training and livelihood preparation, while Sakha Consulting Wings serves as the commercial arm that employs trained women as drivers and provides paid transport services to clients.

Operations

Sakha offers chauffeur services for private cars, point-to-point cab bookings, airport transfers, and longer-term hires. Bookings are typically taken for women passengers, including women travelling alone, with children, or with family members. The service is positioned as a safer travel option for women, particularly in the context of road safety and personal security concerns in Delhi.

Drivers are recruited from underserved communities and trained in driving, road safety, vehicle maintenance, self-defence, communication, and customer service before being placed on commercial duty.

Significance

By combining a livelihood programme with a commercial transport service, Sakha is widely cited as an example of a gender-focused social enterprise in India. It contributes to two related goals: expanding women's employment in a male-dominated occupation and offering women passengers a transport option staffed entirely by women. The model has influenced similar women-driven cab initiatives in other Indian cities.

References