By Rtn. Jaideep Malavia
With Rtn, Jaidepp, the Indore woman who’s been supporting her parents and her deceased brother’s children with her e-taxis
The city of Indore in the state of Madhta Pradesh has ranked as India’s cleanest city for six consecutive years. In tune with that achievement – and proof that Indian women prosper with e-taxis – I came across a lady driver who has been operating an electric-3 wheeler for the last three years.
After the death of her brother, she undertook the responsibility of supporting her parents and her brother’s two children through her taxi business, becoming one of the first female taxi-drivers to invest in one and taking out a bank loan to finance it. She told me she has already repaid the loan, as more and more local people prefer to use her electric taxi instead of a gasoline-powered 3-wheeler. This is a success that needs to be highlighted as a case study of how eco-friendly electric mobility can transform living.
I also had the privilege to visit the city Ekta Nagar, home to the largest statue in the world. The 5 km2 radius
A woman in Etka Nagar with her electric taxi
area enjoys virtually fossil fuel-free transport with over 100 lady 3-wheeler drivers trained to carry passengers to the site of the statue and other attractive sight-seeing in the vicinity. Another success from empowering women!
Rtn. Jaideep is a solar engineer, Board member of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), Secretary-General of the Solar-Thermal Federation of India, and a member of ESRAG’s Renewable Energy Task Force.