The first batch of female auto drivers started their work today in Mumbai as part of a government scheme aimed at empowering them. Interestingly, the women drivers include graduates and post-graduates in arts and commerce streams. Under the government scheme, five per cent of rickshaw permits are reserved for women. According to the plan announced in 2016, 465 licenses were provided to women in Mumbai and Thane.
19 female auto drivers reportedly started their job of transporting passengers through the jammed streets of India’s financial capital in their new three-wheelers. Notably, rickshaw permits are highly sought after in Mumbai and can be big business. According to reports, transport officials say that they decided the women should have a different colour rickshaw to stop male relatives from taking them over.
According to reports, a driver claimed that women feel that driving auto is much better than doing household work as they can make more money and it’ll helps them secure their future.
The similar schemes are there in New Delhi and Ranchi where pink coloured autos are seen on roads driven by women as part of a safety initiative but these Maharashtra drivers take both male and female passengers.
Services started in Thane last year but these new drivers, who will sport white lab-coat-like uniforms, are the first to ply the streets of India’s most populated metropolis.
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