In the driver’s seat

Begum is one of the first trained,professional women chauffeurs of Delhi. She is currently one of the only two women who drive people around the city in a rented car. On November 1,Delhi’s first rental car service with only women chauffeurs was launched by Sakha,an NGO,which had last year began providing women chauffeurs to individual clients that includes families with schoolchildren,working women and NGOs.

“It’s a service meant to address the right to a dignified livelihood for one type of women and the right to safe mobility for another type of women,” explains Nayantara Janardhan,COO,Sakha.

The drivers are chosen from poor families and are put through a rigorous six-month training programme,which includes a driving course by the Maruti Institute of Driving and Technology Research,self-defence training by Delhi Police’s Crime Against Women Cell,and classes on communication and grooming,women’s rights,map-reading and routes of Delhi.

Sakha’s sister concern Azad Foundation finds and trains the women by tying up with NGOs that work in slum or JJ clusters such as those in Dakshinpuri,Madangiri and Govindpuri among others. They distribute pamphlets,put up posters go door-to-door,looking for women who are above 18,at least Class VIII-pass and whose family income is around Rs 4,000 or less. Begum,for instance,is a high-school-pass who became a domestic help after her husband died five years ago and would earn Rs 2,000 a month for her three daughters. Her 17-year-old daughter saw Azad’s pamphlet and gave it to her mother who was worried about who would do the house work and look after the kids. But her supportive daughters wanted their mother to become a skilled worker and earn more.

Yet,convincing families to let their women become drivers is the biggest challenge. “They are concerned about the women’s safety and who would do the housework when they would be away for 10 hours driving,” says Shrinivas Rao,programme director,Azad Foundation. “If we decide on taking 50 girls,we find 20 willing families,and of those 20,15 finally agree,” he says. But,with time,the number has increased. They had nine girls in the first batch,14 in the second,and 16 in the third. But their current batch,the seventh,has only eight girls. “We’ve become stricter about our criteria as there was a lot of attrition in our previous batches. From our first lot of nine girls,five dropped out,for various reasons — family pressure,imminent marriage,medical issues etc. Some had the attitude that once they’ve got their permanent driving licence,they can sit at home. They thought we are a driving training centre,” says Janardhan.

So,now,there’s an interview to check how serious the girl/woman and her family is. “We tell them—the woman and her family members to sign a shapath patra,which says they would be committed to us for at least three years,” says Rao.

The other part — finding employers for the women once they are trained — also battles with misconceptions. “Indians have a mental block that women are bad drivers. They are also worried about the driver’s safety,” says Janardhan. Nevertheless,through word-of-mouth,their website and a Facebook page,they have been able to generate more demand than they have the supply.

Their fresh rent-a-car service has been doing well too. They have currently one car though and two drivers for the service.

Begum is one of them. From being employed by a woman to drop her to office and back as well as her daughter to her college,she now meets new people every day. “Just yesterday,I went around the whole of Delhi with a group of foreign tourists,who paid me Rs 200 as tip,” says Begum,who was paid Rs 5,500 per month by her previous employer (Sakha would get to keep Rs 500) and is now paid Rs 6,500 per month for the rental service.

As she gets ready to go to the airport to pick up a client,she remembers the days when the only road she knew in Delhi was from her Dakshinpuri home to the Chirag Dilli bus stop. “I would never take off my ghunghat while walking on that road,” says Begum,who now wears a long shirt and trousers — her uniform. “People often comment in my neighbourhood ki main aadmi ban gayi hoon,” she laughs. Even on the road,she fights gender bias. “People in Delhi can’t see a woman driving a car with a yellow plate,signifying a taxi. The other day,a group of young boys in a Skoda were booing,and raising their eyebrows as they saw me driving the taxi. But I chose not to react. My focus is only on the road,” she says.