For sole woman auto driver, the income has reduced to half

NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: For Ruby Singhal, the only woman auto driver in the entire Noida-Ghaziabad region, these are difficult days. The withdrawal of currency notes has reduced her earnings to half and she is forced to drive her auto on a sharing basis as there are very few people to hire it.
Singhal (30) stays with her husband Ajay Singhal and three children in Chipyana village in Ghaziabad.She was in news early this year when some unidentified men torched her two autorickshaws on January 6, 2016 midnight. Following a TOI report, the UP government gave her an NCR auto. The local social activists and district administration also extended help to her.
Now, after the demonetisation, she is seeing difficult times again. “I get up early in the morning and ready my children for school. I leave with the auto at 8 am and return in the evening. However, I get only 4-5 commuters. Now for sustainability, I ply the vehicle on sharing basis from Ghaziabad to City Centre Metro station in Noida and from there to Anand Vihar Metro station,” she said.
Ruby said that she has a smartphone but did not use any digital wallet. “I never felt the need to use a digital wallet as most people paid the fare in cash. I will now explore options like PayTM if the situation does not improve soon,” she said. The move has reduced her earnings from Rs 800 to nearly Rs 400 a day, she said.
“Working as an auto driver is difficult for a woman. The male auto drivers feel competitive and jealous. A few days ago some auto drivers surrounded me over a minor issue. I called the police helpline but they did not take any action,” she said.
Singhal said that she wanted the police and administration to do something for her safety. “I sometimes return home at night. There are people who keep a gun for safety. I want the police to allow me to at least keep a knife for my safety,” she said.