Telangana launches Stree Ride, women earn livelihood through driving

Five years ago, Sarla had never imagined herself weaving through Hyderabad’s streets on a two-wheeler, delivering packages and earning enough to support her family. A housewife from Neredmet, she came across a Facebook advertisement seeking women interested in learning to ride and work in the mobility sector. Hesitant at first, she decided to take a chance.

Today, she earns more than ₹40,000 a month as a delivery rider with a logistics company and says the transformation has been about far more than money. “I feel very proud of myself. I can financially support my family and my children. My children are proud of me too,” she said.

Stree Ride launch

Sarla is among dozens of women whose lives have been reshaped by training programmes that have enabled them to enter professions long dominated by men. On Saturday, their journeys took centre stage as the Telangana Women Safety Wing formally launched Stree Ride, an initiative aimed at training and employing women as drivers and riders in the transportation and mobility sector.

The programme was launched at the State Police Headquarters in Lakdikapul, Hyderabad, where Telangana Director General of Police C.V. Anand flagged off 50 electric bikes and five electric autos that will be operated by women riders and drivers.

55 women trained under Phase I

Under the first phase of Stree Ride, 55 women received driver training and employment support through partnerships with mobility service providers and aggregators. The programme aims to connect women with opportunities in passenger transportation, while also expanding into logistics, cargo and delivery services.

Officials said the initiative is designed not only to create jobs but also to challenge stereotypes around women’s abilities, increase female participation in the workforce and encourage more women to pursue non-traditional careers.

Women earn financial freedom

Ameena, who has spent the past five years working as an auto driver, primarily in the delivery sector, said the profession had given her the freedom to shape her own life. “Most of the last five years have been very good. The job gave me financial freedom and the freedom to live life on my own terms,” she said.

Initiative to address harassment

Yet challenges remain. She recalled instances of rude behaviour and harassment from male passengers during rides. “We always felt if we could have a woman rider for women passengers provision, that would make us feel more comfortable,” she said, adding that the new initiative will address those concerns and allow her to take up more passenger rides alongside logistics work.

For Aseem Khatun, who trained with Moving Women (MOWO) in Darussalam three years ago, becoming an auto driver has been life-changing. “I earn around ₹1,500 a day and I am able to support myself and my family very well,” she said.

‘Now I get the respect I always wanted’

Another participant said she had not known how to ride even a bicycle before joining the programme. “I was not educated either. But the team stood by women like us and helped us stand on our own feet,” she said. “Earlier, women were often treated as insignificant in our families. Now I get the respect I always wanted.”

Satya, who works as a cab driver after undergoing professional driving training, said the sector offered remarkable earning potential. “I can earn ₹3,500 a day by working between 7 a.m. and 9.30 a.m.,”she said.

According to the Women Safety Wing, such stories are at the heart of Stree Ride’s vision. The initiative seeks not only to improve women’s safety but also to strengthen their economic independence by creating employment opportunities in the rapidly expanding mobility sector.

Addressing the gathering, DGP (Telangana Women Safety Wing) Charu Sinha said the programme was born out of a need repeatedly expressed by women commuters. “Complaints from women about safety concerns in buses, autos and bike rides have been common. We wanted to address that challenge,” she said.

She noted that introducing women drivers directly into passenger transportation was not easy, which is why many participants were initially placed in gig-work and delivery platforms to build experience and confidence. Acknowledging that the first batch of women drivers would face challenges, she urged them to persevere.

Transport Commissioner K. Ilambarithi described women entering driving professions as an important social shift. “If women are present in public and common spaces, it is often an indication that those places are safe,” he said, adding that greater female participation in transport would improve both safety and convenience while creating new livelihood opportunities.

He also pointed to the role women drivers could play in strengthening first- and last-mile connectivity, an area that continues to require attention in urban transport planning in Hyderbad.