'Need more women auto drivers': Bengaluru entrepreneur’s late-night kindness goes viral
Bengaluru entrepreneur Varun Agarwal shared his late-night ride with a kind woman auto driver who charged less than the usual fare.
A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur and author’s post about a late-night act of kindness by a woman auto driver in the city has gone viral.
Sharing his experience on X, Varun Agarwal wrote that he was stranded in Indiranagar after several auto drivers refused to take him to Koramangala
“No auto was willing to go to Koramangala and every auto guy said no to me,” he said, adding that he had walked nearly a kilometre before spotting a woman driver parked by the road.
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“When I asked, she said it was late and she was going home. As I turned to leave, she called me back and said she’d drop me home,” he recounted. Despite the late hour, she agreed to drive him to Koramangala — a rare gesture in a city where commuters often complain about refusals.
He added that she charged him only ₹200 for the ride, even though the usual Uber fare was around ₹300. “I told her it’s too less, but she said it’s ok. I insisted on paying ₹300,” he said, calling it “one of the best auto experiences” he’s had in recent times. “We need more women auto drivers,” he concluded.
How did X users react?
The post struck a chord with Bengaluru residents and drew hundreds of reactions online. Many praised the woman driver’s kindness and said her empathy reflected “a mother’s heart.”
One user wrote, “She saw the helplessness in you. Only a mother’s heart can truly feel that pain. We don't know why she did it. Chances might be there that she might have lost a dear one to something. Good people are mostly god-sent. They are sent to us because our loved ones pray for us every single day. Be grateful at all times.”
Another user suggested a practical tip, “Next time that happens, try to break the auto travel into two parts, Indiranagar to Old Airport Road and then Old Airport Road to Koramangala.”
Others found the story uplifting in the context of Bengaluru’s often unpredictable auto rides. “The fact that this happened in Bangalore where the autowallahs can be really scary is such a pleasant change. An example of good feminism!” one user wrote.
Another added, “More auto-wallahs are good than bad, but those bad ones have made us avoid autos at all costs. It’s sad, but trauma is above delight in defining behavior.”
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