She drives an auto, rides on hopes to beat cancer and misfortune

CHENNAI: P Gunavathi battles throat

cancer

and the city’s uncompromising traffic without complaining. Sitting behind a handlebar, she believes that plying an autorickshaw would cure her of the deadly disease and bail her family out of dire straits. Like many women auto drivers she too had joined ‘M Auto’ last year to earn more. But after the initial euphoria fizzled out, she chose to drive on her own.


“I have throat cancer and visit a hospital for

radiation therapy

. I take care of my three children, look after my widowed sister and her children,” she said.

For women like Gunavathi, ‘M Auto’ came with a promise of financial independence. But after a year, those who had signed up for the venture said the promises had not been kept. The business did not click leaving the women who bought autorickshaws in a fix.

When TOI reached out to ‘M Auto’ founder Mansoor Ali Khan for comment, he declined. But the women drivers did not hold back. “We did not get any autorickshaw as promised. The promoter had said that we would get free autorickshaws with the help of sponsors,” said a woman driver.

Another autorickshaw driver from Mannadi said the service was never backed by technology. “We expected a mobile app would integrate us and bring in more customers. But it was never launched. Instead, we got calls to assemble before the media for which we were paid around Rs 1,000.”

But Gunavathi did not stop at the alleged photo-ops. She continued plying her trade, making around Rs 800 per day, with the hope that women auto drivers would one day have a separate platform.

Hope came when M Gomathi, president of Othavadai Fisherwomen Cooperative Association, approached a new cab aggregator, ‘D Taxi’, to enrol women autorickshaw drivers. She said there were more than 500 women autorickshaw drivers, most of whom are either single mothers or come from broken families, in the city.

G Balaji, president of ‘D-Taxi’, said, “We have formed a new group of cab drivers. We will include auto

services

by women in our app.”