China: PSI Pilots Innovative Taxi Intervention

GEJIU CITY, China, January 20, 2006 — PSI/China, capitalizing on the traditionally sociable relationship between taxi drivers and their passengers, has initiated an innovative program to reach clients of sex workers in the taxis that take them to and from the entertainment area.

The program trains the drivers in a technique that allows them to identify the clients of sex workers and then promote condom usage to them. Initial evaluations show that the program has significantly increased HIV/AIDS awareness of taxi drivers as well as their ability to promote healthy behaviors to clients. The program was launched in 2003 with the funding of the British Department for International Development (DFID) and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In recent years the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China has spread from drug users and blood donors into the sex worker population, and from there into the general population. The combination of high-risk behavior and low awareness of HIV/AIDS made sex workers and their clients particularly vulnerable. In Yunnan Province, the proportion of HIV infection due to sexual transmission accounted for 24.9% of total cases in 2004. Between 1994 and 2004, HIV prevalence among sex workers in Yunnan increased from 0% to 4%. Only 28% of the clients surveyed said they used condoms every time that they have sex.

Since 63% of clients reporting that they usually take taxis to the districts where they seek sex workers, taxis are an effective way to reach this target group. PSI utilizes the friendly relationship between driver and passenger to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and informed demand for condoms. Over six months PSI/China's pilot program in Gejiu trained 245 taxi drivers for the role of an HIV/AIDS educator. Armed with HIV/AIDS information in a taxi decorated with creatively-designed HIV prevention materials, drivers have the tools to effectively engage passengers in a discussion of the merits of HIV/AIDS prevention.

Evaluation results show that the intervention has increased HIV/AIDS knowledge and the willingness of taxi drivers to promote condoms. The percentage of drivers who knew that HIV cannot be transmitted by sharing food with someone grew from 19% to 77% over the first year of the program.

PSI/China plans to expand the initiative to other parts of Yunnan and Guangxi provinces and hopes that it can serve as a model in other parts of China and other countries. As the program expands, it may integrate pedicab or rickshaw drivers as these modes of transportation predominate in border towns and other areas.

—Clancy Broxton, PSI/Washington

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A Guangxi Rickshaw taxi driver reading IEC materials.