Pakistan has a particularly low female labour force participation rate. Public transport is often unsafe for women, adding further constraints to female employment opportunities. This project aims to assess the feasibility of increasing female participation in the transportation sector by offering opportunities for women to enter the Careem/Uber programme. 

The study takes place in Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan) - one of the largest urban centres in the country. The lack of safe transportation options for women travelling to work is a binding constraint in Punjab: 40% of women who do not work say their husband or father will not allow them to work outside the home (Field and Vyborny 2016). According to a survey conducted by the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women in Pakistan, one out of every two women does not have access to safe public transportation. This project directly addresses these challenges by increasing female participation in the transportation sector, which is critical for women's mobility and broader labour market participation.

Researchers collaborate with the largest transportation network company in the region, Careem (a subsidiary of Uber), in a study offering female jobseekers a potentially transformative income source, while providing their customers with safe transportation. In this pilot, 50 women will be offered a high-quality auto-rickshaw (with enhanced security features) and membership of Careem's driver programme. 

To measure impacts on female earnings and other household-level outcomes, researchers will select another 50 women as a control group (only receiving information about earnings opportunities available through such work), and will utilise high-frequency administrative data, phone surveys, and qualitative work to explore the potential engagement of women with the transportation sector.

Research ongoing, results to follow.