Women on Wheel empowering women in Bangladesh's automotive scene

Women on Wheel Bangladesh is a community of exceedingly motivated and driven women who want to change the very culture and perception of women drivers in Bangladesh. They are a superb movement that combines empowerment, skill-building, community bonding and creating an inclusive atmosphere for women.

The motivation to start this community of strong independent women drivers started off from a scenario that should be familiar with many women here. The need to feel safe on the road. Whether it's themselves driving or taking other forms of transport, women usually aren't as comfortable as you'd think! Every day is an uphill battle of sorts just to go from point A to B and it can take a toll on women.

Kazi Farhana, founder of WoW Bangladesh, recalled her time during COVID where she had to drive herself to her workplace as every mode of transport was unavailable at the time. "My fear of losing my job made me overcome my previous fear of driving," said Farhana. As she felt more confident driving regularly, the road ahead had many hurdles, such as a lack of technical expertise, social unacceptability, sledging on the side of the road, and unwanted disapproval of bystanders.

"Transportation is a nightmare for women in our country, and public transportation is not always safe for them. For women who have the means, driving their own vehicle is a safe and reliable mode of transportation. Women on Wheel is a support system for female drivers or potential women drivers. The philosophy behind our group is that strong women lift and encourage strong women," expressed Farhana.

This is what inspired her to open a community as these are everyday situations a woman driver has to go through. She sought out other women online and together with her friends, she founded WoW. The intention was to create an inclusive community of women who helped each other regarding these issues and come to a solution. "The philosophy behind our group was that strong women lift and encourage strong women," stated Farhana.

Women on Wheel assists female drivers. Whether it be technical queries, suggestions for buying cars and insurances, emergency support for drivers and driver meetups to discuss more opportunities for these ladies to encapsulate on. They have a myriad of services offered to women including driving lessons, training women to be adept in mechanics, trainers, and service executives. They even provide expert assistance for emergency support on the road via a helpline and have full-fledged workshops and garages led and staffed by women for the usual repair works.

Their goals for the future are ambitious to say the least, as they want to increase the awareness among society by taking affirmative action. They are progressing one step at a time and want to train women so that they can be hired in respectable positions such as in BRTA or where women could become drivers themselves or trainee officers too. Their long-term goal is to set up an institution where they can offer proper courses with proper degrees and diplomas to women seeking to enter the automotive field and to establish policies that benefit women in the automobile industry.

Photo: WoW Bangladesh