These women auto drivers from Chennai took IIM by storm

| Video Credit:
Shivaraj S, Johan Sathyadas

Divya M sat nervously on a chair, as she watched discussions on cooperative entrepreneurship, a term she could hardly pronounce.

At IIM-Kozhikode recently for a competition, Divya, part of a five-member team from Chennai, was clueless at first. “I sat an entire day without understanding what was happening,” recalls Divya, an autorickshaw driver.

“Everyone spoke English. Some people were keying something in their laptops. Everything sounded important, but all we did was stare.”

In the next couple of days, the Chennai team — women who spoke Tamil and were hardly fluent in English — warmed up to the occasion. When it was time for their presentation, they spoke from the heart, about the problems that plague auto drivers in Chennai.

“We spoke about our lives and what steps we are taking to raise our standard of living,” she says.

Divya, part of a team of women auto drivers that calls themselves Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS), won the first prize in Coop 2024, a competition aimed at promoting cooperative entrepreneurship. Apart from a cash prize of ₹50,000, they will also have a year-long mentorship programme to help develop their cooperative enterprise.

Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam, registered in April 2024 and currently comprising about 400 women auto drivers, is trying to ensure better working conditions and monetary benefits for its members.

Mohana Sundari, one of its key members, says, “We are operating it like a business model, because that helps us get transport contracts from private and Government departments. For emergencies, it is easier to lend our members money, which is rather cumbersome if we try through other sources. When we operate as a group, it gives us recognition and a voice.”

Mohana Sundari is referring to a model where the Sangam will operate similar to a transport company or mobile app that employs drivers. “This also ensures that women drivers get access to benefits like Provident Fund (PF) and Employee State Insurance (ESI). It also helps us get loans.”

70% of women auto drivers in Chennai are single parents, she adds. “They drop and pick up their own children from school in the auto — ensuring the kids’ safety — and also ply the vehicle in between these hours and earn money. This also means lesser dependence on relatives and friends,” she says, “Though some of the drivers are educated and can go for other jobs, they prefer to drive autos because it helps them manage home and children better.”

Leela Rani, K Sangeetha, Mohana Sundari and Divya M, autodrivers in Chennai
| Photo Credit:
S Shiva Raj

Stand and deliver

While this ensures some peace of mind, it also comes with challenges. “The ‘auto stand’ culture in Chennai is a big challenge, where men wait with their vehicles and don’t allow women. The male ego is still at play here,” says Mohana, adding “Also, autorickshaws are denied parking at most hospitals, hotels and malls, which pains us a lot.”

VPMS is supported by a non-profit organisation called Empowering Communities through Education, represented by Vijay Gnanaprasad, an IT employee who also backs community-based initiatives. “We are trying to highlight the issues of women auto drivers to the society. Registering members as a cooperative immediately opens up better opportunities, like taking up contracts and working like a B2B model. We are also exploring options to tie up with rail or bus line authorities,” he says, adding, “Very few people in Chennai know this group exists — whenever someone spots them, the first question is: ‘Oh, so women drive autos in Chennai?’ We are trying to be more visible and highlight their lives and aspirations.”