In a major step towards the addition of the transgender community into mainstream society, Rani Kiran scripted history by becoming India’s first five-star-rated cab driver for Uber, a multinational transport company. This indeed goes to show that our country is gradually changing.
Rani broke all barriers and refused to beg at railway stations and traffic signals.
She previously worked as an auto-rickshaw driver but faced a lack of trust and support from society. Later, she decided to volunteer as a driver for an ambulance during the Rath Yatra in Puri and then slowly, her life started to change.
“I started driving auto in 2016, but it didn’t work for me because people didn’t use my auto. But in 2017, I opted to drive an ambulance during the Ratha Yatra in Puri,” Rani told news agency ANI.
It has been learnt that Rani was introduced to the ‘world of cab driving’ for multinationals by an ex-Uber employee, who motivated her to join the firm as a partner driver.
She came through with flying colours by cracking an interview and then purchased her own car. Today, she is inspiring more people from her community to earn their own source of income with their heads held high.
“By seeing Rani ma’am, I have become her follower and want to become a driver myself. As you see people, especially girls, feel safe with us while they are travelling during late hours in comparison to male drivers who seem risky,” Snehashree Kinnar who is another member of the trans community in Odisha, told news agency ANI