New Delhi: In a country where highways often echo with the roar of diesel engines, a quieter yet powerful shift is underway—led not just by electric vehicles, but by women steering change from Parliament to parking bays.
At a landmark dialogue organised by Swaniti Initiative and Purpose, women parliamentarians, truck and bus drivers, and fleet operators came together to map the road ahead for a cleaner and more gender-inclusive freight ecosystem. And if there was one takeaway—it’s that the future of logistics might just have a lot more “she-power” behind the wheel.
India’s transition to electric mobility is already opening doors. Women currently make up 11–15% of the country’s 1.1 crore EV workforce—a modest number, but one that signals a shift in gears. With Zero Emission Trucks (ZETs) expected to generate nearly 6.3 million jobs by 2050, the freight sector could become an unlikely champion of gender inclusion.
And here’s the economic kicker: achieving parity in women’s workforce participation could boost India’s GDP by a staggering 27%. In simple terms—more women at work means a faster-moving economy (and perhaps fewer traffic jams in boardrooms).
Speaking at the event, Saudamini Zutshi highlighted that women’s growing presence in the EV workforce is an “early signal that change has begun.” Meanwhile, Uma Bhattacharya emphasized the need for deliberate policy frameworks to ensure this transition doesn’t leave women behind.
But the road, much like some of India’s highways, isn’t entirely smooth.
Reema Jogani, CEO of Reema Logistics, pointed out practical challenges—from lack of secure parking to limited infrastructure. “Women drivers prefer local routes,” she noted, balancing professional ambitions with personal responsibilities.
On the ground, however, the transformation is already visible. Ummatunbibi Jahangir Shaikh, an electric bus pilot, shared how switching to EVs not only improved her earnings but also elevated her sense of dignity. “People respect me more,” she said—proving that sometimes, the biggest upgrades aren’t under the hood.
Policy voices echoed this momentum. Dr. Fauzia Khan called EVs a “rare opportunity” to redesign systems with gender inclusion at their core, while Dr. Sangeeta Balwant added with a smile-worthy analogy that driving a truck can be “more challenging than flying a plane”—and women are doing it with confidence.
Priya Saroj and Mahima Kumari Mewar further stressed the need for better implementation of policies at the grassroots level, along with societal support and visibility for women in logistics.
The dialogue concluded with a clear message: India’s clean freight journey isn’t just about swapping diesel for electric—it’s about rewriting who gets to drive the future.
Because in this new era of mobility, the question is no longer if women will lead the change—but how fast they’ll accelerate it. And if this gathering was any indication, India might want to buckle up.
