Low-income households largely depend on cycling to access employment and essential services. Most of them include low-wage domestic workers who are women. These women can travel confidently, safely, and sustainably with access to a cycle.
Power the Pedal initiative by Greenpeace India aims to provide these women access to safe, empowering, and accessible transport.
The funds from Power The Pedal will provide bicycles for many such low-income women laborers in Delhi, Bengaluru, and other cities. Power the Pedal initiative hopes to raise enough funds for 5000 bicycles in a phased manner.
Power the Pedal initiative is currently gearing up for the first phase of cycle delivery. In this phase, 500 cycles will be distributed to women laborers from Delhi’s Zamrudpur community and Bangalore’s Munnade and Laggere garment labor unions. This will also involve conducting cycle training for the women.
Hero Cycles is helping build ‘Power The Pedal’ Bicycles suitable for Indian women’s attire and lifestyle.
One of the success stories from the initiative is about Mangala Gowri, a garment factory worker from Bengaluru, India. Mangala is part of a wider community of low-wage women workers in India, who balance livelihood and a family, often neglecting their own health and requirements. Taking up cycling for her daily commute has changed Mangala’s life. She now saves time – each minute more important than the last – allowing her to rest, eat and spend time with her friends and family. With her cycle, Mangala reclaims her space on the roads, empowers her community, and silently fights the rising threat of air pollution in our cities. She now hopes that better cycling infrastructure will make her commute safer.
To support this initiative, you can share your contributions here: https://pages.razorpay.com/powerthepedal