In a socio-economically progressive foray into a traditionally male-dominated profession, 15 specially trained women auto-rickshaw drivers began commercially driving their newly acquired vehicles on the congested roads of the Bihar capital on Sunday.
Having earlier defied resistance from neighbours and relatives, these women in the driver’s seats were unmindful of strange stares from both men and women passersby as they began a whole new career in the pre-paid auto-rickshaw service at the busy Patna Junction railway station area. They had received months of training from experts to drive auto-rickshaws, and they now possessed both learners’ licenses and vehicles financed by banks — all courtesy the Bihar State Autorickshaw Drivers’ Association (Bsada). “It feels so exhilarating and fulfilling,” said Sarita Pandey, 32, one of the 15 women auto-drivers who was earlier a schoolteacher. “My hard work at a private school used to bring me only `3,000 a month. I now hope to make a much bigger income and have a better life,” she said.
These determined women, among the 35 who were all set to formally and commercially begin driving auto-rickshaws in Patna after their training, said they never considered this profession to be an exclusive male realm. “It is just a little challenging to negotiate the chaotic traffic in Patna’s roads, but the work is just the same for both men and women at the wheels,” said Pinki Kumari, 25, another auto-rickshaw driver. She said the `5,000 her husband, a cook, got a month was not enough for her family. “These women came on their own to join our initiative to train women to drive auto-rickshaws. We trained 35 women for the job, but only 15 could start work now as only they were granted loans so far to buy their vehicles. We facilitated their loans from a private bank,” said Rajkumar Jha, general secretary of the Bsada.
Jha said all the 35 trained women drivers would be issued permanent driving licences.