Placing women in the driver’s seat

The Rotary Club of ­Jamshedpur Steel City, D 3250, has tied up with Pebco Maruti Driving School, to train women as professional drivers. “The income opportunities here for women car drivers are aplenty. Parents are comfortable and consider it safe to send their young daughters with women drivers to school and office. We hear that Uber and Ola are planning to recruit women drivers too ,” says Alpa Parikh, the Club President.

Initially, six young women were enrolled for the classes. “­Jamshedpur has migrated population from nearby adivasi communities, who are employed in companies like Tata Steel. The women are engaged as household maids or maalis. We identify these women or their children for the course,” says Club Secretary Parnika Agrawal.

The driving school provides extensive classes in theory and practicals, including simulation and on-road driving. “The first day when I sat on the wheel I was mighty thrilled. I felt like I was flying an aeroplane,” say Rupa Nag, a student.

Each class is of 40 days duration. A nominal fee of ₹ 1,000 is collected from the student to ensure their commitment to the course. The club bears part of the fee of ₹ 4,500, says Parnika. The school coordinates with the RTO to get the driving license for the students. The girls can enroll for additional classes if they need more training or until they get the confidence to drive on the roads independently.

“I am now driving my uncle’s Alto. Everyone in my family, especially my mother, is so proud of me. It’s all like a dream for me,” says another student Lakshmi Rani Singh.

DG Vivek Kumar distributed the course completion certificates to the women. “Two of the students have got employment with a Tata Motors dealer here,” says Parnika. The club is all set to start the next course.