From 100 to 2,000: Women take the driver’s seat in Bengaluru’s autorickshaws

Bengaluru sees a surge in women autorickshaw drivers, growing from 100 to 2,000, empowering them economically and socially.

When Mumtaz Afreen pulls up in her blue electric auto for a pick-up, she says the first reaction is almost always one of surprise. “There’s a small shock at first. But most passengers, especially women, are very happy. They start conversations and ask me how I learnt riding and what it feels like to be on the road,” she said. 

Ms. Afreen, who has been riding for the past six months, is among 2,000 women autorickshaw drivers now working across Bengaluru.

The number of women auto drivers has risen sharply from just 100 in 2021 to 2,000 at present, according to data compiled by the Bengaluru City Police from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and various transport aggregators. 

Like many other women drivers, Ms. Afreen entered the male-dominated field following personal hardship. She lost her husband two years ago and is raising two children on her own. “As a single mother, I was constantly thinking about how to provide for my children,” she said.

Before this, she had signed up with food delivery aggregators, but her daily earnings rarely crossed ₹500. The work, she said, was unpredictable and physically demanding — waiting outside restaurants for orders, riding a two-wheeler for long hours — and still earning less than expected. “Now I earn between ₹1,000 and ₹3,000 a day,” she said. 

Another driver, Prema Nagaraju, left a violent marriage at 26 and walked out with her three children. Today, she too is part of the growing pool of women auto drivers earning independently in the city. “When passengers first get in, they ask if we are confident enough. Later they say we ride well and that it’s inspiring,” she said.