Tuk-tuks, while becoming increasingly more expensive thanks to rising fuel prices, are a common means of transport for a majority of middle class Sri Lankans. Most Sri Lankans have taken a tuk-tuk ride at some point in their lives, but how often would you have come across a female tuk-tuk driver?
Driving is somehow still largely perceived as a male task. Despite slowly moving towards a society which recognises that jobs need not be gendered, there remain certain occupations that are viewed as being exclusively for men. Tuk-tuk driving is one such occupation where the majority of drivers are men.
However, over the past few years, more and more women have been taking up driving for cab services and driving their own taxis. In 2020 we even saw a cab service called Pink Drives, the country’s first-ever lady-driven taxi service. Pink Drives, according to its Founder Shohan Kulasuriya, is an all-female taxi service where taxis are driven by women for women and children in an effort to ensure peace of mind and safety of passengers.
However, Pink Drives is an exclusive cab service employing women who drive cars. It is not often that we come across female tuk-tuk drivers, but this too may be changing, particularly with the economic crisis and single-income families being forced to take on additional work to support themselves, with more women likely to enter the workforce.
A further example of women being encouraged to take on jobs such as tuk-tuk driving as a source of income can be seen in the initiative by the Rosie May Foundation. A UK-based welfare organisation, Rosie May launched an initiative in early 2020 which focused on single mothers in Sri Lanka. The initiative supported vulnerable single mothers who did not earn an income by providing a platform where these women could learn to drive a tuk-tuk as a form of income.
The foundation provided 12 pink tuk-tuks, which are currently operating in Sri Lanka to raise awareness of the programme and contribute to the project. During lockdown, the tuk-tuks also contributed in delivering food, essentials, and medication to the vulnerable who were in isolation.
Women driving tuk-tuks
Minushi Haputhanthri (30 years old) is a female tuk-tuk driver who chose this as an occupation three years ago. Speaking to The Sunday Morning Brunch, Minushi shared how she first started driving her tuk-tuk.
“I run a juice bar with my sister and back then I did not have a lot of knowledge about food delivery apps and booking apps, so we made deliveries manually. Originally I had a bike which I used to deliver our food but then later I decided to buy a tuk-tuk because it was more convenient and I could make more trips and transport more items at once. As I was making deliveries I got to know about Uber and once I registered I started to drive for the platform. After that, one of my customers set me up with PickMe and I have been driving for both services for three years now. I get most of my rides from PickMe so I tend to use that app a bit more,” she said.
Minushi shared that she had never really had any qualms about driving a tuk-tuk as she already rode a motorbike prior to this, which was also considered a more masculine vehicle. However, where she came from, people did not slight her for choosing this means of income generation because all they saw was a young woman taking initiative, she shared.
“I didn’t worry at all about buying a tuk-tuk, because I was already driving the bike. The tuk-tuk was just a convenient thing. I couldn’t afford to buy a car so it was the next best thing,” she said.
A unique experience
Minushi shared that her work day was a little different to many tuk-tuk drivers: “I don’t know how relatable this will be to the majority of tuk-tuk drivers, but because I have my shop, I treat my tuk-tuk driving as a day job. I start at 6.30 a.m. and I work non-stop until 1.30-2 p.m. Then I stop taking tuk-tuk hires and go to my shop for lunch and work there until we close up shop,” she said.
She shared that as a woman, she did not wish to drive at night, as she did not want to take any risks when it came to her own safety. “I have never had any reason to fear my customers. Since I stick exclusively to my booking apps, I feel a sense of relief knowing that someone will be held accountable if something were to happen to me, but regardless, I have not had any problematic customers who have made me feel afraid or even uncomfortable,” she said.
She however noted that she planned her work day owing to certain fears she had with regard to society and the general lack of safety for women travelling alone. “I do not associate with any other tuk-tuk drivers during my work hours. I take booking after booking from the moment I start in the morning and I drive until I reach a certain target for the day or until I am truly exhausted and then make my way to my shop. I do not rest in my tuk-tuk or take breaks by the side of the road or go to tuk-tuk parks. I prefer to keep to myself,” she said.
Customer feedback
Minushi shared that there was a spectrum of reactions when customers saw a female tuk-tuk driver. “If my customer is a woman I can almost always tell that they are very happy to have me as their driver. They immediately feel at ease and I always end up having a conversation with them where they express that they are glad they got a female driver and that they are so impressed by what I am doing,” she said, adding: “Not only women and children, but even men have expressed that they feel at ease having a woman as a driver. People just feel safer with a woman when they are strangers.”
Interestingly, she noted that a common belief shared with her by many had been that men were capable of doing more demanding tasks, especially considering the recent crisis, and so they should not be taking up occupations such as driving. “I have heard this a lot and I believe this myself. Driving is not an incredibly taxing thing. Yes, it is physically demanding when you do it at a stretch, but really, women and even young girls can do this. But a fully grown adult man can make a better, more meaningful contribution to society by doing something else, a job that is more taxing, more physically demanding – something that women may struggle to do,” she said.
“I do not understand why more women are not driving and doing jobs like driving for taxi services because it is a simple skill that anyone can learn and it is a really effective means of income generation,” she said. “I earn a considerable income from my limited work day. As a single woman who only has to provide for herself, it is more than enough for me to live a comfortable life, but if you are looking to support your family and are looking for a supplementary income, then this is ideal.”
The downsides
Minushi shared that there were really no downsides to the job itself, however noting that she was unable to hit huge targets set up by the ride booking apps because she took certain precautions as a woman, which included not driving at night. “The way I work, I can’t possibly do the numbers they ask for those bonuses. Considering that we, as women, do have certain circumstantial limitations in this line of work, it would be greatly appreciated if these apps could take that into consideration and provide some benefits,” Minushi said.
She shared that amongst the women driving for these platforms, there were more cab drivers than tuk-tuk drivers, because they tended to take fewer rides at night and like herself, would end the work day a little earlier – perhaps to pick up a child from school, cook for the family, etc. Therefore, it would be a good thing if companies that offered ride booking services were able to make a special consideration, she opined, adding that it could be a give and take situation on both sides because, as per her experience with customers, women felt safer with women and if the platforms were able to offer more female drivers, then they could drive more traffic to their services.
Finally, Minushi noted that she was incredibly happy with her current lifestyle and chosen occupation. However, she does at times experience doubt when it comes to revealing what she does for a living: “Many of my school friends and people I knew from back then do not know what I do. While I am not at all ashamed of what I do, I do not think they are ready to hear about this, so there are times when I keep quiet about my job. But I think with time these things will pass.”
She noted that since she had started this job as a tuk-tuk driver, she had felt liberated and that being her own boss and having the freedom to decide when she wanted to work and when not to had been very empowering. “There are no other jobs like this. I work for myself and if I work hard it is all for me and nobody else, so I feel that this is really a win-win situation for me.” She added that eventually, she hoped to buy herself a car so that she could further expand her services and earning capacity, but for now, she was content.