Woman landing in Mumbai at 2 am rides women-driven cab, says she felt free of safety worries

Women travelling alone at night have to keep their safety in mind. As soon as they get into a cab, many check the driver's details, remember the route, call family members or share their location as a precaution. A video by a young woman named Apoorva, based on a different experience during a night journey in Mumbai, is being widely discussed on social media.

Apoorva shared the video on the Instagram handle @portraitsbyapoorva. She had recently landed at Mumbai airport at 2 am. After leaving the airport, she booked a cab driven by a woman. In the video, she said she felt safe and carefree on the journey.

According to Apoorva, women travelling alone at night often have to stay alert. Checking their phones repeatedly, staying on the phone with a family member, or pretending that someone is tracking their journey are part of the daily lives of many women. But sitting in the cab driven by a woman, she did not feel the need to do any of this.

Describing the experience, Apoorva said, "Today I felt like a man." She said she was not constantly checking her phone during the ride, nor was she talking to family to show that someone was keeping an eye on her. Instead, she was able to enjoy the journey in comfort.

Her video shows the flight and then the cab ride. It also shows views of Mumbai at night from the cab window and the driver's hand on the steering wheel.

Apoorva clarified that she did not mean that men never feel fear or insecurity. The experience made her realise what it is like to move about freely outdoors without worrying about safety all the time. In her post, she said that being able to live without fear is also a form of freedom, and that this freedom is not available to everyone equally.

After the video went viral, many people agreed with Apoorva's experience. Some men also shared their views on the safety concerns women face in daily life. Some women users shared their own experiences, such as staying constantly alert while travelling at night, sending their location to family and staying in touch by phone during the journey.

The video has brought back into discussion the issues of women's safety, trust in night travel and the freedom to move fearlessly in public places. Although this is Apoorva's personal experience with a woman driver, it nonetheless sheds light on women's everyday safety concerns.