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A Revolution in Motion — Driven by Women, for Women

Ladies Own Transport Services isn’t just a company. It’s a movement. Born in 2018 out of Joanie Fredericks’ deep desire to disrupt the status quo, Ladies Own was created as a bold answer to a brutal question: how do we reclaim freedom in a world that often makes women feel unsafe?

The answer? We take the wheel.
And we don’t let go.

Rooted in Cape Town, South Africa, Ladies Own began with a mission that still fuels every ride and every lesson:
To create a safe, empowering space where women can learn to drive — and unlearn the fear, trauma, and psychological conditioning that told them they couldn’t.

What Drives Us

We believe that mobility is power. That a steering wheel can be a tool of liberation. And that when women learn to drive, they’re not just navigating roads — they’re reshaping their futures.

Our work is grounded in:

  • Empowerment over fear
  • Personal growth over limitation
  • Sisterhood over silence
  • Passion over passivity

More Than a Driving School

We are a force — a crew of committed women working to dismantle gender-based violence by giving women the tools to move freely, confidently, and safely in the world.

We don’t just deliver lessons.

We deliver courage, confidence, and community.

Join the movement.
Let’s drive change — together.

Meet the Women Driving the Movement

More than instructors. More than leaders. These are the women turning courage into action, and driving change — one student, one story, one road at a time.

Joanie Fredericks

Founder & Force Behind the Wheel

Joanie Fredericks is not just the founder of Ladies Own Transport Services — she is the engine behind it. A modern African Phoenix, Joanie has risen from a life marked by physical, sexual, and psychological violence to become a fierce advocate for women’s freedom, dignity, and power.

Her work is personal.
Her mission is unapologetic: to dismantle the systems that keep women stuck — in fear, in poverty, in silence — and to put the keys of mobility, independence, and confidence into their hands.

Inspired by the spirit of Susan B. Anthony, who once said the bicycle had done more to emancipate women than anything else, Joanie launched Ladies Own as more than just a driving school. It’s a movement, rooted in sisterhood and driven by change. Through accessible, premium-quality driver training and innovative financial support models like stokvels and scholarship funds, she’s helping women — especially those from under-resourced communities — take control of their lives, one lesson at a time.

With over 35 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Joanie is a seasoned community builder, strategist, and advocate. She’s served and founded countless grassroots initiatives, from food justice and missing children advocacy to her current household organic garden project in Tafelsig — a move away from handouts toward self-reliance and resilience.

Joanie holds a wide range of technical and operational qualifications, with certifications in Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Community Capacity Enhancement, and HIV/AIDS education (SAFAIDS). Her volunteer work spans decades and continents, from Bush Radio and Rape Crisis to humanitarian work in Israel. She currently serves as the Cape Town Chair of the Western Cape Network on Violence Against Women.

In 2003, Joanie received the prestigious Amazon Award from the Women’s Legal Centre for her work with women farm workers. She’s been featured in the City of Cape Town & FNB Women in Business Series as a voice of lived experience in the fight for gender equity and inclusive economic growth.

Joanie is more than a founder.
She’s a firestarter. A truth-teller. A freedom-maker.
And every woman who steps into a Ladies Own vehicle is part of her revolution.

Eileen Conrad

Business Partner & Chief Instructor – Specialist K53 Road and Yard Instructor

Eileen Conrad is the backbone of training at Ladies Own Transport Services — a powerhouse of experience, discipline, and deep compassion. Before joining LOTS, Eileen served as a Police Officer, where her sense of duty and sharp instincts laid the groundwork for her life’s true calling: empowering women through driving education.

Today, as Chief Instructor and Business Partner, she not only trains students but also shapes the instructors who carry the LOTS mission forward. With a sharp eye for progress and a deep understanding of the K53 system, she leads ongoing instructor development, offering guidance, support, and solutions when challenges arise — both on the road and in the yard.

Eileen is the person instructors turn to when they feel stuck. She’s the calm in the storm, the strategic thinker who helps every team member level up — and every student break through.

With unmatched dedication and a passion for excellence, Eileen doesn’t just teach driving. She leads a movement — one confident, capable woman at a time.

Rowena

Driving Instructor & LOTS Graduate

Hi all, I’m Rowena — one of the newest instructors at Ladies Own Transport Services, and I’m thrilled to be part of this powerful movement!

What do you need to know about me? I bring passion, energy, and a whole lot of heart to every lesson. My teaching style? Fun-filled and dynamic — with just the right amount of strictness to keep you focused and progressing confidently behind the wheel.

But I’m not just an instructor — I’m also a proud LOTS graduate. I’ve been exactly where you are, guided by the best, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward. With the same support and encouragement I received, I’m here to help you cross that finish line proudly — and ready to own the road.