Yesterday a friend of mine sent me a message which detailed the experience of her travel in a rickshaw with a female driver.
Reading the message made me realise how important the cause of this petition is.
I would like to share it with all of you-

Anushree, want to share something with you.

The other day I was travelling in Thane. And nobody was ready to drop me at my place. But then I saw this orange and black auto. Something rare. An autorickshaw driven by a woman!. And let me tell you. How she behaved.

When I approached her to help me reach my home, she had been on a phone call, talking to possibly her husband. She agreed to ferry me and immediately ended her phone call. Then she drove the lanes competently and peacefully. Like literally peacefully. There was no irritation about the fact that she had had to end her call because of me. And the best thing: Her auto was super clean. Like every corner. And I loved that.

She dropped me with a smile. This was the positive part.

Now, the negative part:

1. The place she dropped me was occupied by male drivers. When they saw her, all of them smirked. Doubt was visible on their faces. They were clearly underestimating my driver but she didn't let it affect her. Not one bit!

2. Commuters looking for an autorickshaw sidestepped her although she was second in the her auto line. They approached the male drivers behind her. Even then too she had this big smile on her face. That bright face with a pink sun coat is a sight to remember.

My first thought after reading the message was- More power to this autorickshaw driver and the many like her.

The experience details how dedicated she was about her job. It also emphasizes the fact that women who drive commercial vehicles face discrimination and are looked down upon by the many. They drive long hours all over the city, but the toughest road to traverse is that of gender bias and discrimination. It's high time that the one transportation industry became gender-friendly. Once the playing field is levelled for women and other genders, only then can we aim for it to become gender-agnostic.
That is why I started this campaign. I believe that the biggest player in the cab aggregator market in India can drive this change. Ola Cabs, that is you. Hear me and the 81,000 people supporting this campaign. Make a conscious decision to back female drivers. Enable them to gain the necessary skills to become commercial cab drivers. It'll be a win-win for everyone.

Image source: Facebook