Bengaluru, July 20: As part of its efforts to encourage greater participation of women in the mobility ecosystem, Namma Yatri recently organised a unique, one-day experiential activation that invited women from diverse professional backgrounds to step into the shoes of a driver partner. Held in Bengaluru last Saturday, the initiative offered participants a first-hand experience of driving with the Namma Yatri platform, highlighting professional driving as a career that offers financial independence, flexibility and dignity, while challenging long-held stereotypes around women in mobility.
The experience began at Kempegowda International Airport, following which participants accepted rides through the Namma Yatri app and navigated Bengaluru just as thousands of driver partners do every day. Throughout the day, they interacted with riders, experienced the realities of driving professionally and gained a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with the profession. Their journeys were documented to capture authentic stories and perspectives from the experience.
The activation featured participants from diverse industries, including:
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Vidhu Vinod, Lead Program Manager – Strategy & Operations, Target
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Preity Nanwani, Brand Manager, TBWA\Lintas
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Vanshika Shah, Creative Content Strategist, Poetic Potato
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Kavya Mendiratta, Creative Manager, Namma Yatri
More than a symbolic experience, the activation sought to draw attention to a larger challenge within urban mobility. Despite growing demand from commuters who often prefer women drivers - particularly during early morning and late-night travel - the number of women choosing driving as a full-time profession remains relatively low across Indian cities.Namma Yatri has already been working towards increasing women's participation in mobility through its Mahila Shakthi programme, which supports a growing community of women auto-rickshaw driver partners. Building on that foundation, this activation was designed to encourage more women to consider driving cabs as a profession as well, with the long-term objective of expanding its network of women cab driver partners alongside its existing women auto driver fleet.
Through this initiative, Namma Yatri sought to demonstrate that driving can be a viable and empowering career for women while encouraging more women to consider joining its driver-partner community. Greater participation from women drivers has the potential to create more livelihood opportunities, while also improving the availability of women driver partners for women passengers seeking greater comfort and confidence during their journeys.About Namma YatriNamma Yatri was born in Bengaluru with a simple but ambitious idea, to build a mobility platform that puts drivers and passengers first.
Built on the Open Network for Digital Commerce, the platform was created to offer an open, transparent alternative to traditional ride-hailing models. Unlike conventional aggregators, Namma Yatri's approach has focused on enabling direct connections between drivers and passengers while giving drivers greater control over their livelihoods.
What started as a Bengaluru-focused initiative has since expanded to multiple cities across India, serving lakhs of riders and driver partners while introducing services across auto-rickshaws, cabs and other mobility formats. Along the way, Namma Yatri has continued to champion open digital networks, fair marketplace principles and technology designed around the needs of both drivers and commuters.
Beyond building technology, the company has consistently invested in initiatives that strengthen the driver ecosystem, from improving earning opportunities and reducing friction in daily operations to creating programmes that encourage greater participation from underrepresented groups.
Its latest initiative reflects that broader vision. By encouraging more women to become driver partners, Namma Yatri hopes to make the mobility ecosystem more inclusive while giving women passengers greater access to women drivers, particularly during times when safety and comfort are paramount.
For Namma Yatri, building a mobility platform is not only about making urban transport more efficient, it is also about making it more equitable, more inclusive and more representative of the communities it serves.
