Bengaluru to Set Up Dedicated Facilities for Women Auto Drivers

Dedicated charging stations, clean toilets, and essential basic infrastructure will soon be set up at suitable locations across Bengaluru to support women auto drivers, Mahadevapura MLA Manjula Aravind Limbavali announced on Sunday.

Speaking after inaugurating a free auto-driving training programme for women and transgender persons in the city, the MLA highlighted the lack of clean public toilets as a significant barrier currently faced by women working in the sector. She stated that establishing dedicated civic facilities would help remove these obstacles and encourage more women to take up commercial driving as a viable profession.

Limbavali also noted that increasing the number of women-driven auto-rickshaws would provide safer late-night commuting options for information technology sector employees while generating steady livelihood opportunities for the drivers.

The training initiative is jointly organised by the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) and IT firm CGI. According to Revathy Ashok, Chief Executive Officer of B.PAC, participants in the programme receive comprehensive instruction covering practical vehicle driving, road safety regulations, traffic rules, and hands-on exposure to city traffic management systems.

In addition to driving skills, the training curriculum includes modules on financial literacy, digital literacy, and basic English to help drivers manage their work independently.

B.PAC has set an objective to train 10,000 women auto drivers across Bengaluru by the year 2030. Sharing her experience at the event, Malathi, a beneficiary of the programme, stated that her monthly income increased significantly from Rs 8,000 to up to Rs 25,000 following the training and support provided by the initiative.