It seems strange to think nowadays that there was a time in this country when women could not be seen doing some jobs like operating public transport vehicles.

In the past it was unusual for women to be seen behind the wheel of a taxi or combi. This job was hugely believed to be only reserved for men.

But daring women like Gatogang Moeng, Mogomotsi Meshack, Reginah Makhu and Margaret Pelaelo of Francistown proved these stereotype beliefs to be wrong. They are among the first women in Botswana to acquire PSVs, as public transport vehicle drivers' licences are known colloquially in this trade.

To this date, these women have taken the taxi industry by storm and many more all over the country have followed in their lead. In Francistown, just like everywhere else in the country, it has now become a norm for one to board a woman-driven taxi.

"We really commend women taxi drivers because they have proved to be very good on the road as we see them during our patrols," says Kutlwano Police Station traffic officer, assistant superintendent Bonno Mabetha.

He says he is impressed by the large number of women who have embarked in the taxi business, adding that their presence would bring about change in this industry. "If this taxi business had started off with women it would probably not have acquired a bad reputation as it has today," says Mabetha.

He calls on men to change their behaviour and start being responsible on the road like women. He adds that ever since women got into the taxi industry, they have not received any complaints against them unlike their male counterparts.

The reason for this, as the women reveal, is that women as taxi drivers have one thing in common - they all want to change the taxi industry for the better and make it a respectable business.

"Male taxi drivers have tainted this industry and have a bad reputation of being irresponsible and ill-mannered. So as women, we intend to a turn everything around and create a good name for this business," says 37-year-old Moeng whose combi operates along the Gerald Estates route.

She believes that driving a taxi is a job just like any other job. "There is nothing hard about driving a taxi. It's just that it has its own challenges just like any other job," she says.

She says when she first got into the taxi business, some male passengers who doubted her taxi driving skills often ridiculed her.

"At times some passengers would refuse to get into my combi and preferred to wait for the next one that was driven by a man," she says with a sullen face.

Before she could continue, a passenger suddenly yells through the combi window that the combi is full.

Rushing to the combi, Moeng says: "I have to go, di-customara di tloga di mpolaya." As she leaves, her colleague, Meshack, 39, picks up the conversation. "Here we deal with customers of different dispositions. One has to be patient in order to cope. Some customers are very rude and others can be very impatient," she says.

According to Meshack, most people have distorted beliefs that taxi drivers have no manners and that they are arrogant and irresponsible. "It is not all of us who have no manners. However, I believe that there are some individuals in this business who ill treat customers," she explains.

Another female driver, 49-year-old Pelaelo says ever since women got into the taxi business, a lot of things have changed for the better. "Most customers now appreciate us and some believe that taxis that are driven by women are safer than those driven by men," she says.

Pelaelo's dream is to see the taxi industry being recognised by the government as it contributes immensely to the country's economic growth. "The economy of the country cannot grow without the taxi industry, so we appeal to the government to take us seriously," she says.

She also complains about the low taxi fares saying that over the past years prices of fuel, spares and other motor vehicle accessories have risen. She says one cannot hope to become rich by operating a taxi. "The business has no future. We only do it to put food on the table," says Pelaelo.

Another chauffeuse, Makhu concurs that the taxi business is not that lucrative. As a combi driver, she finds the government recommended P2.70 fare is too low and hampers their chances of success. "I cash between P60 and P200 on a normal day and make up to P300 on month end," she says.

A male taxi driver, Steven Mauchaza, says women drivers are not capable of avoiding accidents on the roads because of their physical makeup. "Most women often panic when an accident occurs," he says mockingly.

However, a transport inspector at the Department of Road Transport and Safety (DRTS), Isaac Motlotlegi says women have proved to be more capable drivers than male counterparts. "They are gentle on the road and more behaved than men," he says.

He believes that if women controlled the taxi industry it would be a better industry than it is today.