For Sangeeta Patel from Bhandup, making ends meet was tough when she worked as help at a hospital. Keen on extra income, her colleagues and she decided to start their own venture.
After mulling for a while, they approached some drivers to learn to ride autorickshaws. “We approached several auto drivers, asking them to teach us to ride. All of them used to avoid us saying that it is not good for women. But there is no such thing that we can’t do, right? Finally, one kind driver ‘bhaiyya’ helped us. He taught all five of us to ride. Now, all of us own an auto. This will be our bread and butter now,” said Patel.
Patel, along with Jaya, Darshana, Pramila and Kavita, are among the first few women auto drivers in the city, who will be riding what are being called ‘pink autos’, even though they are orange.
At least 80 more women have enrolled to get pink autos. Within a year or two, Mumbai’s central suburbs will see a drastic increase in the number of women autorickshaw drivers.
Patel and her colleagues had an inaugural run last Saturday. The process was facilitated by individuals who helped them avail a subsidy, understand the loan procedure and get training.
“Under the Prime Minister’s employment scheme, there was an option to get these autorickshaws at subsidised rates for women. We were actually looking at getting the funds through the Chief Minister’s scheme, but the quota was exhausted. We are now looking at procuring 80 pink autorickshaws for other women, who have applied,” said Natarajan TR, Project head, Rotary Pink Auto Project, which is working on providing autos to these women.
As part of the project, these women are able to procure autorickshaws for Rs 2.4-3 lakh. They buy the vehicle on loan and are expected to repay it through their earnings eventually.
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