The Greater Chennai Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Azad Foundation to train women in commercial two-wheeler and four-wheeler driving, creating a new pathway into professional transport work and expanding mobility options across Chennai.
The agreement was signed at the Ripon Building and will focus particularly on women from marginalised socio-economic backgrounds. The programme is intended to help participants acquire the driving skills required for commercial roles while improving access to safer and more dignified employment.
Under the partnership, women will receive training to operate both two-wheelers and four-wheelers for professional transit-related work. The initiative goes beyond technical instruction, with the participating organisations identifying safe employment and workplace dignity as important parts of the programme.
The partnership addresses barriers that have limited women’s participation in transport and mobility-related occupations. Commercial driving remains a predominantly male employment sector, and the corporation said the programme would support women seeking greater financial independence through professional driving skills.
The GCC’s Gender and Policy Lab said women’s participation in professional driving could also contribute to safer transport infrastructure for women using Chennai’s public and commercial mobility networks. The programme therefore links employment support with a broader effort to make movement through the city safer and more inclusive.
GCC Commissioner GS Sameeran, Azad Foundation executives Dolon Ganguly and Malini Krishnan, and Legis, head of the corporation’s Gender and Policy Lab, attended the signing event. The source report did not specify the number of women to be trained, the programme’s duration, the locations of training centres or the timeline for placing participants in commercial driving roles.
