Ganga Mandal: a fearless cabbie's drive through adversity

Jaipur: In a city where the streets are dominated by male drivers, one woman has taken the wheel to pave her own path. Meet Ganga Mandal, a 35 year old ride-hailing driver from Bengal , in the bustling metropolis of Jaipur. Like many women in the industry, Ganga has faced numerous challenges and obstacles before becoming a driver. She washed clothes, swept floors in several homes, worked as a security guard so that she could earn so much as to raise her two daughters single handedly. Ganga is a single mother as her husband and in-laws threw her out of their home for bearing female offsprings.

10K rides in Six years

From discrimination and harassment to financial struggles, Ganga has had to fight to make a living and assert her place in a traditionally male-dominated field. However, despite the difficulties she has encountered, Ganga has not let these obstacles defeat her. Instead, she has used her determination and resilience to break through barriers and become a successful and respected driver in the city. In her 6 years journey as a cabby, Ganga has earned most 5 stars for over 10 thousand rides she has undertaken.

Was married away at 16

Ganga who hails from Vardhaman district of West Bengal has a heart wrenching story to tell. Speaking to The Mooknayak, Ganga said her parents got her married at the age of 16 and by nineteen she had become mother of two girls. The world came crashing down on her when she was abandoned by her husband who desired a son. With two small kids by her side, Ganga had roamed aimlessly and hopelessly at the Jaipur railway station and even thought to end her life. " Something inside told me to fight not just for my life but for the sake of kids" Ganga said. Having just read up to 8th standard, Ganga couldn't find a job. " I put my daughters in a state-run orphanage so that they would not die of hunger. They did not allow anyone to meet the children so I offered to assist them with cleaning and cooking so that I could spend time daily with my girls" Ganga said in a choked voice.

Learned driving but getting licence was difficult

Things got better for Ganga after she came in contact with an NGO named Azad Foundation which offered skill based training to poor woman. Ganga's mentor Kiran Saxena, a woman right activist encouraged her to learn driving and she learned it. She worked at night as security guard, did menial jobs in the morning and completed her training on driving. However, the process to get a commercial driving license was difficult due to her low educational qualification. With much efforts and perseverance, Ganga earned the license. And her journey as a professional cabby began.

Passengers rejection

Mentioning about the passengers hesitancy to be driven by a lady cabby, Ganga says " Many times people would cancel the trip when I reached to pick them . It was disheartening but gradually I learned to convince them and make them feel safe inside the car with my meticulous driving. " Eventually, people started recognising Ganga and few other female cabbies in the city which made things smoother for them . From city rides, Ganga started accepting longer routes so that she could earn more for her family. Ganga has undertaken trips from Jaipur to Delhi and as far as Haridwar. Today Ganga manages to earn somewhere between 15-20 thousand rupees a month from the rides. She is attached with Uber and Ola companies.

Good life for daughters

Ganga wishes to give a comfortable life to her daughters Payal (18) and Koyal (16) who are presently studying in class 12th and 10th respectively. " I didn't get a good education nor got a good husband. But my daughters can study whether they like and pick better career options. Life is not safe for girls outside the home and hence both my daughters have opted for online study courses. I am always worried about their safety whenever I am away from home" says the concerned mother. Ignoring the taunts and frowns Ganga Mandal is determined to face all the challenges that keeps coming her way.

40 percent commission too high

Mentioning about the difficulties in her profession, Ganga says safety is a big concern as many female drivers have reported facing harassment and abuse from passengers. This include verbal abuse, unwanted advances, and physical assault.She also says that presently, the companies take away 40 percent of the income as their commission as the application moderator. " The commision is too much just for developing an app and minting money throughout the life is unjust. This is a major problem of gig workers like us and have demanded government intervention on the issue" Ganga said.Ganga and three other female drivers along with a delegation of gig workers had met Rahul Gandhi at Dausa during his Bharat Jodo Yatra last month.