An awareness session on “Ride with Pride” campaign was organized at the University of Central Punjab. The said initiative is aimed at encouraging and empowering the female students at UCP to commute conveniently and independently. The awareness session was attended by both ladies and gentlemen at the University alongside the campaign’s brand ambassador; Ms. Zenith Irfan, popularly known as “The motorbike girl of Pakistan.”
Zenith opened the discussion with a heartfelt narration of her own life story. She explained how riding a bike gave her confidence to excel and lead the way for every girl who wished to become independent. Her story featured childhood memories of her father wanting to travel the world on a bike and how her mother supported her in the pursuit of this dream. Ms. Zenith’s message was that of courage, hope and the pursuit of one’s dreams.
Next the audience was addressed by Ms. Khadija who explained how this campaign could become an exemplary initiative for every girl who faces commute issues and has to depend on someone else even for routine tasks be it her brother, father, husband or relatives. She motivated the participants of the seminar to endorse the initiative and ride with pride.
The campaign features a mobile app available at both App Store and Play store. Next, Ms. Hajra explained how the app shall facilitate easy commute through a user-friendly interface. She explained how booking a ride was as easy as issuing a library book. Female students with valid CNICs and driving licenses would be able to make use of this app by simply logging in through their university assigned username and password. From security features to tracking the ride, Ms. Hajra explained how Ride with Pride is aimed at revolutionizing the way the girls of UCP shall commute.
In order to ensure the security of the female students, each scooter shall be issued with a tracking system, (through the mobile app), a helmet and also a list of “emergency contacts” that each female can save in the app. Most importantly in case of an accident/or incident, the female students shall be able to inform the University through the app, helpline and/or the designated resource at the institute.
Lastly Ms. Haania communicated the “Dos and Don’ts” to the audience. The session was concluded with an interactive question and answer session which enabled the audience to gear up and ride with pride.
As a start, pink scooters with UCP’s branding have been placed in the campus and the female students shall be able to avail this facility after a series of formal trainings by Lahore traffic police.
