Delhi has commissioned taxi cabs driven by women and exclusively for female passengers in an attempt to assuage fears for the safety of women in India.

The capital region of India is considered one of the most unsafe cities in the country for women traveling alone, and claims they have been victims of harassment on the street and while using public transport are common.

By allowing women to take charge of the wheel, Delhi has attempted to create an environment of safety for other women in the bustling metropolitan, reports Channel News Asia. The move also aims to break away from deep-seated gender bias against Indian women.

“We felt that if women became a productive earning member of the family, then there would not be this bias against women… in time, of course, overnight it will not change,” Nayantara Janardhan, chief operating officer at Sakha Consulting Wings, which will provide 24-hour transport services for women in and around Delhi.

“This was one thing to level the playing field – to give women an opportunity in thus far a man’s profession and where they are doing the work, which is not only earnings but empowerment wise”.

Demand for the service has been especially good since the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year old medical student on a moving bus in New Delhi last year. The incident has shed light on the treatment of Indian women and triggered protests against sexual crimes.