I have been living by myself for almost five years now, and in that time I have taken innumerable late-night auto rides, zipping and zapping across Bengaluru at odd hours of the night, more often than not by myself. Lately, as conversations about women's safety, or the lack of it, are catching a wave across the country, I remember a conversation I had with my mom when I was in my first year of college.

We were talking about my safety and how I was dealing with living alone. My mom was telling me to please book cabs only through apps and not hail one, and trying to do everything a helpless mother of a girl can do. I looked at her and said, "Oh, autos are safer." She asked me why, and I said, "I can jump out of them if something goes wrong." I was 18 years old. Instead of enjoying my first taste of unbridled freedom, I was building on my already instilled sense of hypervigilance: always aware, looking out for my exit routes, and making sure the auto driver wasn't looking at me suspiciously. It's honestly depressing. I've had a bad experience in an auto, and even if I hadn't, what if one day I did? So I remain aware.

Recently, I used an app called Kyra Rides, which employs only female drivers, and I was picked up by a woman who drove me home. For once, I wasn't sitting in the back holding my breath, waiting for something bad to happen. We've put together four such services, from across the country, that employ only women autorickshaw or cab drivers. They make both drivers and passengers feel a little safer while empowering these women with a livelihood and a path to financial independence.

Operating out of Gurugram and Delhi NCR, Fery Rides is trying to make commuting more equal and safe for women. Utilizing only electric vehicles, Fery Rides has a fully trained and verified team of drivers, becoming a beacon of empowerment and freedom, in a city often guilty of endangering women’s safety. Fery Rides is available to download on both the App Store and the Google Play Store.

She Taxi is a Kerala initiative offering taxis driven by women. It now serves all 14 districts and is open to everyone. During COVID-19, its drivers ferried elderly passengers to hospitals and pharmacies, free for BPL citizens and half-price for others, with strict safety protocols.You can book a She Taxi by calling these numbers: +91-7306701200, +91-7306701400.

Kyra Rides is a Bengaluru based ride-hailing app developed by women for women. Their belief is that every woman should be able to hail a ride with absolute peace of mind, at any time of the day or night. Operating like any other ride hailing app, Kyra helps empower these female drivers as well. It is available to download on the Google Play Store.

Pink City Rickshaw Co. is an initiative of ACCESS Development Services that gives 200 women from low-income Jaipur households a path to steady work. Trained to drive custom-designed, eco-friendly e-rickshaws, they are also equity holders who own and manage the company. Visitors can use this while taking guided tours across the city, from a Food Trail Tour to a Wake Up With Jaipur tour. Appointments must be made 24 hours in advance via their website.

Here's more from Homegrown:

This Valentine's Day, Commuters Can Hail Women-Driven Autos With Sakhi In Bengaluru 

Pink Auto Scheme: A Women’s Rickshaw Initiative Is Aiming To Transform Tamil Nadu

A Gold Medal In Japan, A Crisis At Home: The Contradictions Of Being A Woman In India