The brand new fleet of taxis in Chennai caters exclusively to female passengers.
Dressed in bright pink uniforms, they ferry their customers - only women - across the streets of Chennai in air conditioned taxis, which also have a dash of pink on the side.
These women are the drivers of Penntaxi, the brand new fleet of taxis in Chennai that caters exclusively to female passengers.
Ms Jayalakshmi is 33-years-old and one of the drivers; she is excited about her new job.
"Earlier, I used to earn less. Now I am happy that I will be able to significantly contribute to my family's income," she said.
The pink fleet is the brainchild of the Duchess Club of Chennai, which funded the initiative and even trained the women drivers.
The group, in a bid to expand its business, is now trying to tie up with schools, colleges and IT companies.
"This job will give them an assured income to pay off their loans. We wanted to empower them economically by turning them into entrepreneurs" said Ms Shyalaja Chetlur, a member of the Duchess Club.
Ms Nagomi, a former private security guard and another driver with Penntaxi, says, "I have suffered while riding in auto rickshaws. The drivers would smell of tobacco and sometimes, they would be drunk. Now I am glad I will be able to offer safe rides for women".
"I want to expand this into my own fleet of many cabs," says A Devaki, the most enterprising of the lot.
The small but noticeable pink brigade has already generated quite a buzz.
Lydia David, a student, says, "Given the crimes against women, I would be more comfortable travelling in women-driven cabs. They will understand our fears better".
In a further boost to the initiative, a city-based company has now come forward to install GPS-based vehicle tracking system in the taxis, to safeguard the safety of the passengers as well as drivers.