Two women auto-rickshaw drivers ready to hit capital roads

Under the new government scheme, women drivers are being given preference in a move aimed at ensuring that women commuters feel safe while using public transport in the city.

A resident of Geeta Colony in East Delhi, Bholi said she learned driving when she was just a teenager.

“It’s my passion. I simply love it. I can’t think of doing anything else. I want to drive my own auto-rickshaw now and serve the people,” she said.

“I live with my siblings and don’t have a family of my own. There is nothing holding me back from doing this,” she said.
Bholi started working as a driver with a household in Chandni Chowk. She worked for the family for 13 years.

“I have driven everything. I drove a taxi and a Metro feeder bus for a few months. I have also sold eggs and worked in a hotel. As a teenager, I used to stay in a hostel. There, I used to drive my warden’s car,” she said.

Ask her about Sunita Choudhary, Delhi’s — and North India’s —  first auto-rickshaw driver, and Bholi says while she had heard about her, she has not met her.

“I hope more women come into the profession. We have all heard about Sunita. I feel happy about the choice Kusum has made. It will take time, but women auto-drivers will be seen in all parts of the city in the coming years,” she said.

To attract women drivers, the Transport department is offering sponsorships to train them to drive auto-rickshaws.

According to officials at the Maruti Suzuki Institute of Driving Training and Research, many women, keen on becoming taxi drivers, come to the institute.

“We are hopeful that things will change in the coming years,” a Transport department official said.