3,000 drivers, their kin take part in Auto Day

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The 9th edition of ‘Auto Day’ was held on the occasion of late actor Shankar Nag’s birthday in the city on Wednesday. Organised by Three Wheels United (TWU), a global ‘Fintech’ company for EV financing, the event saw the participation of over 3,000 drivers and their families.

The occasion was started by TWU and PeaceAuto, an autorickshaw drivers’ union in the city, with the objective of recognising the importance of the auto driver community and to bring about awareness among the public about the need to treat them with dignity.

November 9 was chosen as it is the birthday of Shankar Nag, a cult icon among Bengaluru’s auto drivers. The event saw activities such as health check-ups and Covid vaccination for drivers and their families. Shankar Nag award and gold medals were given away to those known for outstanding service while felicitation for women drivers also took place.

Along with this, 10 laptops were gifted to children of drivers and 10 girl children were provided with a scholarship of Rs 10,000, in order to reduce the financial burden caused while pursuing higher education – a very common problem among the auto driver community.

“For over ten years now, we have been closely working with autorickshaw drivers in the city to identify and address challenges they face. From affordable financing to a mobile app exclusively for drivers to seamlessly operate their EVs and loan repayments, we have introduced many initiatives to improve their income and quality of life.

We believe that drivers play a very important role in the everyday life of urban commuters," he added.