Jai Bharathi, founder of Moving Women Social Initiatives Foundation (MOWO), and her team travelled across the country on two-wheelers, reaching more than 20 cities and 11,111 kilometres.
The MOWO, in collaboration with the Shell Foundation and the UK government, organised the Moving Borders Tour, which lasted more than 40 days and aimed to raise awareness about gender-inclusive mobility and encourage more women to learn to drive.
Jai Bharathi and her team travelled to places such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Pune, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Jaipur, Amritsar, Srinagar, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna, Guwahati, Ranchi, and Bhubaneshwar, among others, starting in Hyderabad.
The team encountered several remarkable women along the way, from female auto-rickshaw drivers in Chennai to female delivery partners in Jaipur. They also met and spoke with like-minded organisations throughout the mobility spectrum, such as AatmNirbhar, Bikerni, Taxshe, Metro Ride India, and others, who are dedicated to putting women in the driver's seat and making cities safer and more equal.
The Moving Boundaries campaign aims to raise awareness about the necessity of women learning to drive and travel safely so that they can broaden their horizons in all parts of their lives. As a result, women will be able to not only learn to drive but also own and operate electric vehicles to earn money.
A WhatsApp chatbot has been launched in different languages as part of the promotion for women who want to learn to drive a two- or three-wheeled vehicle or apply for a job as a taxi, auto, or delivery rider. This programme is also supported by 'Even Cargo,' a social organisation that provides training, employment, and electric car ownership to women drivers.
"I can't wait to see how this adventure cascades into a tsunami of women drivers on the highways across India," Jai Bharathi added. "We will see a large number of women drivers owning and operating electric vehicles in over 100 cities and villages across India," said Shipra Nayyar of the Shell Foundation.
