Ceat Swayam programme gets behind women drivers in India

Project Swayam initiative encourages social change in the motor driving industry. Trained women drivers will work with Priyadarshini Taxi Services, V-Link, Meru Cabs and School Van services. Job opportunities for women drivers is being explored with Uber, Ola Cabs, Concierge Services, and online driver portals.

Anant Goenka, MD, Caet Ltd. with women felicitated at placement program of Ceat’s CSR initiative Project Swayam. The initiative being implemented by RPG Foundation, today announced a major milestone by felicitating 35 women who are ready to embark on the next level of their journey as professional vehicle drivers.

Snehal Ambekar, Mayor of Mumbai, Anant Goenka, Managing Director, Ceat Limited, Susiieben Shah [Founder, Priyadarshini Taxi Services), Neeraj Gupta (Founder, Meru Cabs), Sanjay Singh (Vice- President, V- Link) and Anil Garg (President, Maharashtra, School Bus Owners Association) were present at the event.

Women drivers were presented with keys by respective service providers as a token of being hired for training. Anant Goenka said the programme looks to do away with stereotypes in a male dominated field with focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Women have been trained with an assurance of employment with taxi services, concierge service, and school vans. Opportunities also lie in services like patient care assistants cum drivers, maid-cum-drivers, elderly care taker cum driver, valet parking drivers, concierge (at Airport, Hotels and offices), ambulance drivers, and others. Employment will help these women drivers earn between Rs 10,000 – 15,000 per month. Ceat Swayam programme looks to transform the lives of underprivileged women.

Ceat Swayam programme aims at driving powerful social change, and will place trained women drivers with taxi services.

With women drivers getting access to professional training, they move towards financial independence. The journey began in March 2014. Upward of 3000 women from low income groups were approached through a mobilisation drive. Ceat Swayam programme is now training 300 underprivileged women in Mumbai, Thane and Pune. These to be inducted women drivers will receive their Driving License by end of April 2015 through training partner, Motor Education and Training Association (META).

Snehal Ambekar, Mayor of Mumbai says with steady rise in molestation and rape cases, social initiatives like Swayam make available safe transport solution for women. Through 2015-16, Ceat Swayam programme intends to train over 2000 women across 13 cities in India. Women drivers will be trained in self-defence,spoken English, customer service skills, grooming, first aid, defensive driving and training in mechanics.

In this first initiative, CEAT Swayam felicitates 37 women who have completed their training in commercial driving. pic.twitter.com/HGmjPlcV4d

— CEAT TYRES (@CEAT_TYRESINDIA) April 9, 2015