30 lakh Mumbai women hold driving licences

MUMBAI: Of the 88 lakh driving licence holders in Mumbai, nearly 34% are women, according to data from the city RTOs.

In 2019-20, of the 350-400 applicants for a learner licence test at RTOs daily, nearly 150 are women (nearly 40%) and mostly in the age group of 18-20. "We have had a good share of women candidates appearing for the computerised tests, and many of them come from driving schools. It is heartening to see more women getting licences, but we don't know how many of them are actually plying vehicles on the road," a transport official said. He, however, added that there was a "significant number of women behind the wheel these days".

R B Kaur, who drives to her Sion office daily, says, "I feel empowered behind the wheel. It gives me a feeling of being independent and I can travel on my own to the workplace."
Mumbai has a vehicular population of around 38 lakh, including 23 lakh two-wheelers and 11 lakh cars. Officials said most women licence holders have dual licences-to ride a scooter and drive a car.
The number of women applying for commercial driving licences like autos, taxis, aggregator cabs and school buses is negligible in the state. Mumbai, however, has 200 women auto drivers in pink uniforms, who are more visible in the suburbs.
The number of women driver partners in Uber and Ola has dipped to less than 50 for Mumbai Metropolitan Region, while around 40 women continue to ply tourist taxis like Priyadarshini and Viira Cabs in the city, sources said. Most of these women are from economically backward sections, widows and divorcees who are sole breadwinners for their families. There are a few women school bus drivers too.