Jyoti Sonawale grips the steering wheel through Hinjewadi’s snarling IT corridor, ferrying tech workers across Pune’s sprawling business parks. Four years ago, her life splintered. Her husband and mother-in-law died during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving her alone with three young daughters and no steady income. She scraped by on odd jobs. Nothing lasted. Today, she is a full-time corporate fleet driver—one of nearly 75 women from marginalised backgrounds who now command commercial transit routes across the city through an employment drive run by social organisation Nirman.
Led by Vaishali Bhandwalkar, Nirman scouted 30 to 35 settlements throughout Pune district to identify women in acute distress, reaching roughly 1,000 candidates from Scheduled Castes, minority communities, and nomadic tribes. The team selected 105 applicants and put 100 through rigorous commercial driving instruction. Nearly 75 of those graduates now work behind the wheel, drawing average monthly incomes between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000, with top earners pulling in ₹50,000 on high-demand shifts.
Sulochana, a widowed mother of three from Barshi taluka in Solapur, walked a similarly brutal road. After her husband died four years ago, she moved to Manjari, cut off from familial support, and washed clothes, cooked, and cleaned houses for two years to feed her children. She had wanted to drive years earlier, but her husband had opposed it. When Nirman's training opened up, she mastered the wheel within three months.
Finding commercial work took relentless grit. She pushed through contacts until she landed multinational employee transport contracts in the Viman Nagar and Kharadi corridor. Her workday is gruelling. Sulochana drives IT staff from 8 am to 3 pm, takes a short rest, and then runs airport transfers that stretch past midnight. The schedule is punishing. Yet the earnings have given her household complete independence.
Nirman built the curriculum to handle the operational realities of Pune's transport sector. Trainees train on driving simulators before logging actual highway hours under seasoned instructors. The coursework covers traffic laws, emergency vehicle maintenance, interview techniques, personal security, and digital navigation via Google Maps.
| Programme Milestone | Metric / Detail |
|---|---|
| District Settlements Reached | 30 to 35 Settlements |
| Women Screened | ~1,000 Candidates |
| Selected for Training | 105 Trainees |
| Successfully Certified | ~100 Drivers |
| Placed in Active Driving Roles | Nearly 75 Drivers |
| Baseline Monthly Earnings | ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 |
| Peak Monthly Earnings |
Fortified by three years on the road, 45-year-old Sonawale now handles daily IT routes after initially running hospital patient transport in Nigdi and Pimpri-Chinchwad. "This work has given me financial stability, confidence and the strength to live with dignity," Sonawale said. "My daughters proudly tell people, 'Our mother is a professional driver.' Seeing that pride makes everything worthwhile." Nirman is preparing to intake its next cohort of drivers as commercial transport demand expands across western Maharashtra.
| Up to ₹50,000 |