4 months ago
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At a clip erstwhile concerns astir women’s information successful nationalist transport proceed to predominate the municipality discourse, FemiRides—a women-for-women mobility level founded by Behara Vijaya Radhika—is softly reshaping however women question portion besides creating opportunities for them to earn.
The thought down FemiRides took signifier successful 2020, Ms. Radhika said, adding, “Women indispensable not lone consciousness safe, but besides should beryllium successful power of their journeys. Driving is much than a skill, it is freedom, dignity, and livelihood.”
The inaugural began connected a tiny standard with conscionable 1 pistillate driver. “Initially, not galore women showed involvement owed to deficiency of pistillate instructors. Eventually, a 50-year-old pistillate came guardant and received training. That azygous measurement became a turning point, and contiguous implicit 500 women person learned to drive, supported by a increasing squad of 50 trained women instructors,” Ms. Radhika said.
However, Ms. Radhika soon realised that semipermanent program required grooming much women, not simply employing them. She registered a women’s driving programme nether an ITDA task that was initially approved, lone to beryllium withdrawn pursuing a alteration successful the government. Despite the fiscal setback, she persisted, registering a driving school, starting with 1 conveyance and gradually expanding to five.
The aboriginal years from 2021 to 2024 were marked by resistance, assets constraints, and repeated setbacks. Nevertheless, the level attracted women from divers backgrounds, including ASHA workers and Anganwadi teachers, who archetypal joined arsenic learners and aboriginal became earners. “Feedback prompted maine to regenerate the antheral teacher with a pistillate instructor. The archetypal specified teacher was hired astatine ₹25,000 per month. Soon, women began grooming others, creating a rhythm of empowerment,” she said.
In 2023, FemiRides was formally incorporated and launched operations by October. The two-wheeler grooming and thrust work rapidly gained traction, enabling women to commute and enactment independently. Today, the level offers aggregate services, including thrust booking, driving school, women operator hire, trips, and tours, and has trained implicit 500 women. FemiRides operates a fleet of much than 15 cars (including electrical vehicles), 60 bikes, and 10 autorickshaws.
She said the information protocols see GPS monitoring, Aadhaar verification, basal conveyance mechanics training, and continuous thrust tracking. Services widen beyond Visakhapatnam and they tin besides beryllium engaged for longer question to places specified arsenic Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Araku, and Srikakulam. The inaugural has partnered with Coromandel, Infosys for CSR-driven grooming programmes.
Ms. Radhika, with the slogan “Restart. Rebuild. Reset”, said that franchises are planned crossed Andhra Pradesh, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chhattisgarh, and that 2 dedicated apps are nether development.
(The writer Gouthami Paltati is an intern with The Hindu)
