In Telangana, India, a new program is creating a path into the workforce for women through an industry where they have traditionally been underrepresented. The Telangana Police Women Safety Wing launched STHREE RIDE in June 2026 to connect women with employment as bike riders, auto-rickshaw drivers and cab drivers. The initiative is part of a broader push to expand women’s employment in India, a country that continues to face a significant gender gap in workforce participation.

The Link Between Work and Poverty

For people living with limited financial resources, access to reliable employment can be an important factor in maintaining economic stability. The type of employment matters as well. The World Bank reports that 78.2% of employed women in India were in vulnerable employment in 2025, compared with 69% of employed men. Vulnerable employment often involves fewer formal work arrangements and social protections. This leaves workers more exposed to economic shocks and poverty.

Women also participate in India’s workforce at a much lower rate than men. World Bank data based on International Labour Organization estimates shows that India’s female labor-force participation rate was 32.4% in 2025, compared with 77.6% for men. The gap reflects the broader challenge facing women’s employment in India and is part of the wider effort to expand women’s economic opportunities in the country.

The barriers behind this gap are not limited to one issue. The World Bank identifies access to skills, finance, housing and transportation among the factors that can affect women’s ability to participate fully in India’s economy. Addressing these barriers can help create conditions in which more women are able to enter and remain in the workforce.

STHREE RIDE Opens a Door

STHREE RIDE is one initiative addressing women’s employment in India by connecting women directly to jobs in the transportation sector. During its inaugural phase, 55 women were onboarded and connected with mobility service providers through both gig-worker and full-time employment models. The Telangana Police Women Safety Wing designed the program specifically to create livelihood opportunities for women in transportation, a field that has traditionally had fewer women participants.

The first group represents several types of transportation work, including bike riding, auto-rickshaw driving and cab driving. The initiative combines employment connections with livelihood support, giving participants a way to apply their skills directly to paid work rather than stopping at training alone.

That model is particularly relevant to poverty because training by itself does not guarantee an income. Connecting skills development with employment can create a more direct route from learning a skill to using it as a source of livelihood. For women who face barriers to entering the workforce, that connection can be an important part of improving access to economic opportunity.

Why Transportation Matters

Transportation is also connected to women’s ability to participate in the economy. The World Bank identifies safe and affordable transport as one of the structural factors that can influence women’s access to work in India. STHREE RIDE approaches transportation from another angle by creating jobs within the sector itself.

The program also places women in roles that can increase their visibility in public spaces and challenge traditional expectations surrounding transportation work. The Women Safety Wing describes STHREE RIDE as both a livelihood initiative and an effort to increase women’s participation in public spaces and the workforce.

From a Small Start to a Larger Model

STHREE RIDE is still in its early stages, so its long-term effect on poverty cannot yet be measured. There is not enough evidence to determine whether participants will experience lasting increases in income or whether the program will produce measurable reductions in poverty. At this point, its impact can be evaluated through the opportunities it has created rather than outcomes that have not yet been established.

The Women Safety Wing plans to expand the program based on the results of its initial phase. Its longer-term plans include reaching women in urban, semi-urban and rural areas and exploring opportunities with logistics and cargo service providers. If expanded, the program could bring its employment model to women facing different economic and geographic barriers.

Measuring the program’s future results will be important. Employment numbers alone will not show whether STHREE RIDE is helping women build more secure livelihoods. Changes in participants’ income, job stability and ability to remain in the workforce would provide a clearer picture of the initiative’s economic impact.

A Path Toward Economic Opportunity

Poverty reduction requires more than addressing immediate financial needs. Expanding access to education, skills and employment can help people participate more fully in the economy. In India, where women continue to participate in the workforce at a substantially lower rate than men, increasing access to employment is one part of addressing the economic barriers that contribute to vulnerability.

STHREE RIDE began with 55 women, but its broader significance lies in the model it is testing. By connecting women with training and transportation jobs, the initiative is creating an opportunity for women to enter a sector that has traditionally had limited female participation. As more women take the wheel, STHREE RIDE offers an early, hopeful signal for the future of women’s employment in India.

– Anvitha Nakka

Anvitha is based in Frederick, Maryland, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash