Pink Revolution on Three Wheels:How Chennai’s Women Auto Drivers are Driving Towards Financial Freedom

Nandini, a single mother who once worked at the car parking lot of a Chennai mall earning ₹15,000 a month, is excited as she accelerates the brand-new pink auto she has bought in Ambattur. The three-wheeler has transformed not just her livelihood, but also her confidence.

“I am a lot more confident now. I can earn around ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a day. This has given me a lot of confidence and motivation. I want to make those who ill-treated me miss me,” she says. Asked about her dream, she doesn’t hesitate. “I want to educate my only daughter well. I missed it and my child shouldn’t.”

Among the 27 women drivers is Mohana, who used to work as a housemaid. “I won’t get leave. Even getting permission for a few hours used to be difficult. But now I am my own king. I can choose when to work. This gives me freedom,” she says.

The transformation has been made possible through an initiative by the Rotary Club of Anna Nagar Madras to empower women through entrepreneurship. Aptus Housing funded ₹1 lakh for each auto-rickshaw as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, while ANEW, a non-profit organisation, identified and trained the women in driving. The women contributed ₹20,000 each, with a bank financing the remaining amount through loans to be repaid as EMIs.

“Women empowerment is our key focus,” says M. Anandan, Founder of Aptus Value Housing Finance. “Although training these women in car driving was our initial plan, autos are our first step towards financial stability,” adds Dr. Annalakshmi, Founder and Chairperson of ANEW.

The Rotary Club has helped more than 200 women become auto owners over the last year. “Empowering women is empowering the country,” says District Governor Suresh Jain. Rotary Club President Mallika Thiagarajan says pink autos driven exclusively by women also contribute to the safety of women passengers.

These women auto drivers say they will not exploit customers by overcharging. “I’d even take the elderly and disabled free” added Nandini. When it comes to loan repayments, Chitra Mukunnan, Advisor and Sergeant-at-Arms for the Club says “These women are repaying ahead of their schedule. That’s a key reason banks too come forward to finance them”. 

Chennai is estimated to have around 500 pink autos, driven exclusively by women. Besides contributing to women’s safety, this pink revolution is scripting success stories of women’s empowerment, financial independence, freedom and what many call “pink entrepreneurship.”