KABUL, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Every morning, Sadaf Afghan arrives at her office in Kabul to receive orders from customers and book bus tickets online, hoping her fledgling business can make travel easier for passengers in Afghanistan.
Her online platform, qasid.af, allows customers to book bus tickets to different destinations without having to visit a bus terminal and pay for them in cash.
"We book tickets for our customers online, make the payment and then deliver the tickets to their doorsteps," Afghan told Xinhua.
The young entrepreneur developed qasid.af about a year ago and launched its online ticket booking and purchasing services five months later with a three-member team.
The business has since expanded to eight employees, including four women, who provide booking and ticket delivery services to customers.
Afghan hopes to further expand the business and open branches in other provinces, creating more job opportunities for Afghans, particularly women.
"Our main goal is to further develop our business and open more offices in the provinces so that we can create job opportunities for both men and women," she said.
Starting a business has not been easy, particularly in a society where many services are still conducted through traditional, face-to-face transactions. But Afghan said the response from customers has been encouraging.
"Launching any business is difficult in the beginning, but we should not give up. In general, people support us," she said.
Afghanistan's transport system remains largely reliant on road travel. With no extensive railway network or metro system, buses are an important means of intercity transportation. Many passengers still have to travel to bus terminals and pay cash for tickets before setting out on often lengthy journeys.
A journey of about 450 km between Afghan cities, for example, can take at least 10 hours, depending on road and traffic conditions.
Afghan believes digital services can make at least part of that experience more convenient.
"We need government support to improve the transport system, provide necessary services and support companies that provide services to travelers," she said.
She also plans to expand qasid.af into air travel, allowing customers to book airline tickets online and have them delivered to their homes.
The company's ambitions are also creating unconventional jobs for young Afghan women.
Mohammadi, 20, is one of the company's female employees. Every day, she rides a motorbike through Kabul to deliver tickets to customers.
"I feel happy to deliver bus tickets to the doorsteps of our clients," she told Xinhua.
Mohammadi said she hopes the company will continue to expand and provide jobs for more people, particularly women.
"It is very good to serve people, and I hope to see more job opportunities created and more people employed," she said.
Having completed the 10th grade, Mohammadi said riding a motorbike and working outside the home have given her a sense of encouragement.
"Riding a motorbike and serving people is encouraging, and I am pleased to see women being encouraged," she said.■
