Autorickshaw driving empowers women to become sole bread winners

Women autorickshaw drivers pose with chairman of N.R. Foundation R. Guru before an autorickshaw rally in Mysuru on Sunday.

Once considered an unlikely livelihood for women, driving an autorickshaw has become powerful path of self-reliance for many women in Mysuru, who are the sole bread winners of their respective families.

A total of 45 women drivers in the city have painstakingly rebuilt their lives, brick by brick, after losing the support of a male member (in most cases the husbands) of their family due to various reasons.

For Uma, a resident of Gayathripuram, life took a difficult turn after the death of her husband, a lorry driver. However, she found a new lease of life behind the wheel of an autorickshaw, earning an average of ₹1,000 a day. During special occasions such as Dasara, her daily earnings go up to ₹1,500–2,000.

Determined to make ends meet, Uma ferries passengers until 10.30 p.m., often working long hours to provide support to her children, who are also facing health issues. She underwent three months of training organised by the Mysuru-based Taliru Foundation, which works towards alleviating poverty among women and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for them.

“Driving an autorickshaw has given me a dignified life. Unlike jobs where salaries are paid only at the end of the month, this profession provides a daily income. Moreover, as it is not bound by fixed working hours, I can also find time to take care of my children,” says Uma, who is also a karate practitioner.

Driver Lakshimi, a single woman living by herself in Bhogadi, describes the opportunity as a turning point. “This has changed my life. It is a rebirth for me,” she said.

Driver Manasa travels to even remote locations in neighbouring districts to ferry passengers. The income she earns from driving an autorickshaw had helped her meet the medical expenses of her mother, who is suffering from brain tumour.

Ms. Manasa often receives calls from women’s theatre troupes performing at night in remote villages, ferrying the artists to their destinations. Given the late hours and the distance involved, she sometimes spends the night in her autorickshaw, waiting to drive them back.

For Manjula, a single parent from Srirampura, switching from a job at a garment factory to autorickshaw driving has proved worthwhile.

The Taliru Foundation has trained women to operate electric vehicle (EV) and compressed natural gas (CNG) autorickshaws in six batches. Following a three-stage selection process, the foundation identified eligible beneficiaries, provided them with driving training and facilitated financial assistance to help them purchase autorickshaws.

Rotary Mysuru, Rotary East, Rotary Metro, through their project titled ‘Swalambi Stree’ and R. Guru, chairman, N.R. Foundation are financial supporters to this initiative in multiple ways.

Chitra A.R., founder of the Taliru Foundation, who was present on the Ideal Java premises during an autorickshaw rally organised by women drivers to mark Karnataka Rajyotsava on Sunday, said, “Biggest challenge is accessing loans. Social taboo continues to persist in our society. Male surety is mandatory most of the times while female auto drivers apply for a loan”.

Many women trained by Taliru Foundation come from families, where they have no male support, and providing male surety in securing loan is proving to be a challenge. “Our ambition is to train more women to drive school bus,” Chitra added.

Women drivers continue to face difficulty even in finding parking space at autorickshaw stands.

Women aged between 25-50 from Mysuru and neighbouring Mandya, Chamarajanagara, Kodagu have undergone training at Taliru Foundation.

According to the information shared by the women drivers, their income is 3-5 times higher after they took up autorickshaw driving. Most of auto drivers were previously employed as security guards, vegetable vendors, food delivery personnel, workers at petrol pump and factories where they used to face hardships, working at inconvenient timing for relatively lesser earnings.