Pink Shuttle – Banu Bus

Even before the return of the Taliban regime, most women in Afghanistan were banned from using buses and taxis with men on board, motorbikes and bicycles. To promote the independence of Afghan women – giving them the opportunity to get around to reach medical facilities, schools, universities and workplaces – in 2019 NOVE conceived the Pink Shuttle Women’s Bus or Banu Bus(in Dari language): Afghanistan’s only all-female transport service.

The Pink Shuttle trained the first 14 professional female drivers in Kabul. It offered free rides to hundreds of women and provided transport for disabled female athletes with the Banu Bus Social Service, which opened in 2020.

In 2021, the project moved the first steps to become a sustainable business with the co-participation of the drivers and the introduction of price-regulated tickets. When the regime changed, NOVE suspended the service to avoid risks to passengers and drivers. The Taliban’s bans on women have so far prevented the service from resuming.At the change of regime, NOVE suspended the service to avoid risks to female passengers and drivers. The bans imposed by the Taliban on women have so far prevented it from being reactivated.

The direct beneficiaries were 330 women, while the activities indirectly benefited about 2,000 people, particularly the family members of the women involved in the project.