After years working at a large bank, Zizi Fernandes started her own taxi company Mommy Taxi near the Central Station in what she calls her own Rotterdam. Zizi, born in Guinea-Bissau, came to the Netherlands at the age of seven. With her grandmother in mind, she is determined to build her future.
When I asked her at our first meeting years ago why she said goodbye to a good job at ING to set up a taxi company, I immediately knew from the answer that the passion to help others is her main motivation. Money no longer has any value when Zizi achieves that goal.
Zizi's grandmother was very proud of her granddaughter
In Africa, grandmothers are the hub of the family. Grandma was always as sharp as a knife. Until late age she walked to the market every day. Walk for miles in the heat. The family gave extra money for a taxi on the way back. She bought candy for her grandchildren from there. And she kept walking with those heavy bags. She would always say, "My feet are my taxi. They are safe and fast and take me everywhere". That's why everyone in the village called her Mama Taxi. ”
Women with a distance to the labor market
Mama Taxi is a company that wants to give women with a distance to the labor market a push in the right direction. They are beneficiaries, returners or women without a basic qualification. 'We prepare them through our own education program Driving your own future'.
The women are then fully-fledged professional drivers and transport top officials from the business world, politics and the diplomatic corps. It is not just any transport company. With Mama Taxi you want to cooperate as a company when Zizi's ideas appeal to you.
“I really believe that if we make a fist together, we can solve big problems. I see that in miniature at Mama Taxi. ”
The moms drive an expensive Tesla, because electrically 'clean' transport is part of the policy. The services provided are maximum and down to the last detail catered. Wifi in the car, a cushion for the neck to make it even more comfortable and even a cloth napkin so that after eating a bonbon the hands are not dirty, these are just a few examples of the quality Mama Taxi stands for.
“Before they get behind the wheel to mainly transport customers from the business and political world, they go through an education program of three to four months. They learn about hospitality, communication and driving a Tesla. Once they start driving you see them grow. They walk upright and take pride in what they do. ”
Zizi's company Mama Taxi recently moved to the First building in the heart of Rotterdam, with a view over the city. Tesla leasing is a significant investment for a young company, but it is a car that offers quality and has the right appearance. Companies like corporate social responsibility and by driving with Mama Taxi they can at least also make their means of transport more sustainable.
Zizi Fernandes won the Best Idea of Africa in 2013 with her company Mama Taxi. The competition was organized by the government, Chamber of Commerce, SANEC and Innovation Center Delft. These parties stimulate business between the Netherlands and southern Africa.
