[Women’s Day] How two Uber driver-partners braved the pandemic, bringing their lives back on track

Former US first lady Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “A woman is like a tea bag; you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”

The last two years have been harder on women across the world. The pandemic stretched their multitasking abilities to the limit as finding a balance between work and home became even more challenging.

For International Women’s Day, HerStory reached out to Uber driver-partners and single mothers Shivani and Mamta Mahesh, who have been struggling to make ends meet either because of losing a job during the pandemic or other challenges.

Not letting the pandemic defeat them, these women channelled their strengths and with resilience, facing odds that even helped them learn new skills.

Shivani, Uber cab driver, Delhi

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Thirty-five-year-old Shivani moved to Delhi 30 years ago from her village in West Bengal with her mother and uncle in the hopes of building a new future after her father passed away.

“We had no income to support the household, so I decided to shift to the city for better opportunities,” she tells HerStory.

When her husband abandoned her in 2009, she was left alone to fend for her two children, now 15 and 17, and her mother. Shivani took up many jobs to support her family. She worked as a house help for eight years and later joined an export factory.

“I looked after the cleaning and helped in garment making. But I did not like the work culture as we were paid very less but made to work the full day. My children were small at that time and hardly got time to take care of them so I left the factory and re-joined working as a house help and a cook in two houses,” she says.

This gave her more flexibility to take care of her children, especially as a cook, which meant she had to go out twice a day for work — in the morning and the evening.

At this time, the Azad Foundation came into her life and helped her enrol in a driving course.

“Before the COVID-19 pandemic happened, I got my driving licence. I got a job as a personal driver at a doctor’s house with the help of Azad Foundation and Sakha. But the job did not pay me well enough to sustain my family. I left it when a friend of mine suggested I drive with Uber as it provides better earning opportunities,” she says.

Unfortunately, the lockdown began just when Shivani joined Uber, and there was no business. She recalls it was a very hard time, but soon people started calling for cabs.

Initially, her mother and uncle were against her driving because they felt a woman driving a cab is not safe. Now, they are proud of her.

“I drive for 12 hours and return home still not feeling tired because that is how much I like it. As a cab driver, I have the flexibility and power to make decisions for myself. I don’t drive on days I don’t feel like it or when my children need me. When I started, I had a rented car but two years back, I became the proud owner of a second-hand car — a Hyundai Accent, and my whole family is so proud of my achievement,” Shivani says proudly.

She approached her job with a “positive outlook” and recounts memorable experiences as an Uber driver-partner.

“Just last week, I dropped a couple to Nehru Place. They had a detailed conversation about my experiences and what made me drive a cab and it was very wholesome. They even took photos with me and asked me to show pictures of my sons. It made me very happy to have such a heart-to-heart talk with such educated people who respect me and my job. Other than that, whenever I have a woman rider, they automatically feel safer around me and that is why I like driving an Uber the most, I have noticed that mostly women book the cabs,” she says.

Shivani says she earns enough to sustain her family. Other than that, for every 60 rides completed, she earns a bonus of Rs 3,000 which serves as motivation. So far, she has completed over 4,300 rides with Uber.

She is also happy about Uber’s new feature that sends an automatic message asking if she’s okay/safe or needs any assistance if her car is stationary for a period of more than five minutes. The 24/7 helpline and in-app safety button for emergencies also make her feel safe.

She wants her children to have a bright future. “My younger son wants to become a Pro PUBG YouTuber and as silly as it sounds, I have never demotivated him. I am very proud of my elder son, who is a part of the under-14 football team at the Bhaichung Bhutia Football School in Delhi. As for me, I like to live in the present,” Shivani signs off.

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Mamta Mahesh, Uber auto driver, Mumbai

Thirty-three-year-old Mamta Mahesh studied only until the third standard as her parents were too poor to afford her education.

She originally hails from Madhya Pradesh but her family shifted to Mumbai around 15 years back.

“My husband never worked in the village while I had to work hard in the sun in the fields. Thinking that the city will change my husband and give us both more earning opportunities, we shifted here but unfortunately, even the city had no change in my husband’s outlook towards working. I now live in Thane, Mumbai, with my two children in a one-bedroom flat,” she says.

Before she began driving an auto, Mamta had a job in a beauty parlour and also worked as a cook.

She gave up the job at the salon to take up cooking in different houses.

“I did this for about 5-6 years until the pandemic struck. As a cook, while I enjoyed making people happy with the food I made, I was still always at the mercy of the house owners. Deep down, I always craved to be my own boss. That is why I learned how to drive during the lockdown – my motivation was my landlady. She is also a woman and drives an auto, and she helped me learn how to drive. I joined Uber eight months ago,” she says.

Mamta says when she drives her auto, she is her own master and gets to decide the timings or where she wants to drive.

“There is no one dictating terms to me and that is the best and most freeing part. Once the lockdown was lifted, the houses where I had cooked called me back but I did not want to go. I told them I now drive an Uber auto and they all appreciated my confidence greatly,” she adds.

She now drives all over Mumbai — from Kurla to Kalyan — and claims to know every route on her fingertips.

“Whenever people see me drive an Uber auto, they say things like ‘aap gazab ho’(You are magical), ‘aapki himmat ki daat dete hain’(We applaud your bravery). Sometimes, I hear women riders tell me that in their house, women aren’t allowed to step out after 9 pm but seeing me drive all over Mumbai until 12:30-1 am gives them the confidence that they too can do it. Women riders feel comfortable when riding with me and that makes me feel proud that I play a role in ensuring that the woman of our country can travel safely and comfortably,” Mamta says.

Initially, her two sons were sceptical of her driving an Uber auto because of the safety aspect. Over time, she gained their confidence and says they are now proud of their mother.

Mamta shares that her elder son even cooks dinner for them every night as she returns home late.

“I love that no gender norms bind my household — everyone helps everyone, we have no choice but to support each other. It is the three of us against the world,” she adds.

Mamta works every day of the week from 1 pm to 1 am because she cannot take a single day off. She needs the money to pay her rent, bank loan, rent for the auto, and feed the family.

Her elder son Ajay is in the tenth standard and works in a rickshaw garage after school. She is worried for her younger son, who quit school in the ninth standard, also works in a motorcycle garage.

“I just pray my sons remain good human beings and achieve whatever they want. I am here to support them at every point,” she says.