UCLA Podcast Spotlights Chennai Woman Auto Drivers
India-West News Desk
LOS ANGELES, CA – A three-part UCLA podcast is telling the story of Mohana Sundari, a Chennai woman who became an auto-rickshaw driver and later helped organize women working in traditionally male-dominated sectors.
“Autoqueen Trilogy,” produced by Re:Work at the UCLA Labor Center, follows Mohana’s life from childhood and family life through marriage, motherhood, financial hardship and personal loss to her work organizing women workers.
Re:Work is led by Veena Hampapur, new media narrative strategist at the UCLA Labor Center, and Saba Waheed, the center’s director.
Women remain a small minority among Chennai’s auto drivers. Of roughly 100,000 auto-rickshaws in the city, only about 400 are driven by women, according to the UCLA Labor Center.
Mohana said she herself did not realize how many women were in the profession until she connected with other drivers.
“People are shocked to learn there are so many of us, and I have been in this profession for years without realizing how many women have been driving autos,” she said.
Women drivers face safety concerns, COVID-19 restrictions, limited access to auto stands reserved for male drivers and reduced profit opportunities through ride-sharing apps. Many are also single mothers or primary breadwinners.
Mohana eventually helped build a support network among the drivers and became president of Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam, or VPMS, a union supporting women in non-traditional sectors. It became the first cooperative to be registered within Tamil Nadu’s transportation sector. The podcast was produced with VPMS and Empowering Communities Through Education, or ECTE, a nonprofit organizing women workers in Chennai’s informal sector that helped in the formation of VPMS.
Mohana, who does not use a surname in keeping with local cultural convention, grew up in Chennai. Her mother managed the family finances while her father was her primary caregiver. As a child, she rode bicycles and climbed mango trees with neighborhood boys.
Mohana and other union members have advocated for women-only pickup points at metro stations and legal protections through VPMS. The union is also expanding its work to other informal and gig-economy sectors.
Mohana conducts financial-literacy and other skills workshops and helps union members seek jobs or loans. In 2024, she and her colleagues won first place at Coop 2024, a cooperative entrepreneurship competition, receiving a cash prize and yearlong mentorship.
Mohana received the Kamla Bhasin Award in 2025 for contributions to gender justice and equity in South Asia.
“I didn’t study. That’s OK. After that, I tried to do a lot of business, but I couldn’t do that either,” Mohana said. “But if I can provide a livelihood for many women through this union, I believe that will fulfill everything.”
