JOIN USBengaluru women auto drivers brave fresh odds
After a dismal pandemic year, business is slowly picking up for Bengaluru’s women auto drivers. “It was like our only livelihood was taken away from us. Thankfully, things are getting back to normal now,” says Asha, who drives an auto in the Bannerghatta area. Driving autos is not something women routinely consider as a career option, but attitudes are changing.
“I was interested in driving ever since I was a kid. I would see the men in my family drive autos and ride bikes. I jumped at the idea when my husband asked me to start driving an auto for a livelihood,” says Noor Jahan, a fourth-standard dropout who now runs her own driving school in the city.
Noor launched her school in 2018 and has trained about 80 women so far. “Today they drive everything from buses to taxis,” she says proudly.
Ammu, a student of Noor Jahan, supports her family by driving an auto. “I am grateful I got this opportunity. But it is sad that we are still not able to drive safely across the city and do our job like our male counterparts,” she says.
She doesn’t feel safe driving after 8 pm and has had bad experiences with male auto drivers and male passengers. “Some passengers believe they can get away without paying because I am a woman. I have been threatened and heckled many times,” she says.
Driving at night in the main parts of the city is not easy. “However, I am from the Bannerghatta area, and I feel safe and secure there,” says Jhansi, who has been an auto driver for six years.
Not all women own the autos they drive and have to pay monthly rents and instalments.
“When we rent autos from owners, we sometimes pay them more than we earn,” explains Asha, who first started driving an auto to be able to pay her childrens’ school fees.
Help for four women drivers
Philip Samuel, a vintage car enthusiast, handed over four autos to women drivers, Noor Jahan, Ammu, Jhansi, and Asha, on Women’s Day.
“I met them at a Karnataka Vintage and Classic Car Club event in Kasturi Nagar. They shared about their struggles due to high interest and hire charges and I decided to help them,” Philip says.
The new Bajaj autos were handed to them at the Traffic Management Centre, in the presence of Joint Commissioner of Police, B R Ravikanthe Gowda. The vehicle loans are free of down payment and interest. Bengaluru’s women driver community is small but is slowly growing.
“We are a tight-knit community, and we’re always there for each other,” says Jhansi.
Problems
* Hostile men auto drivers
* Rude male passengers
* Safety concerns at night
* EMI, interest burden