'Wonderful example': Hyderabad single mother driving Uber to support 3 kids goes viral. Internet hails her

According to Suresh Kochattil’s account, Nandini has been driving with Uber for the past year.

A Hyderabad-based journalist has drawn attention to the life of a woman working as an Uber driver after a routine cab journey led to an unexpected conversation. The account, shared on social media, has since prompted widespread discussion about women’s work, financial independence, and the realities faced by single mothers.

Suresh Kochattil shared the experience on Facebook and X following a series of cab journeys between television studios during coverage of the Union Budget debates. In his post, Kochattil explained that while travelling from Nationalist Hub to 99TV in Hyderabad, two drivers cancelled his booking after accepting it.

“Today, I was using cabs to travel from one studio to another for the Union Budget debates. When I booked a cab from Nationalist Hub to 99TV in Hyderabad, two of the drivers cancelled after accepting the booking,” he wrote.

A third driver was eventually assigned, and Kochattil noted that the name displayed on the app belonged to a woman. Curious, he waited to see who would arrive and later shared a photograph of the driver with his post.

During the journey, the driver, identified as Nandini, spoke about her background. According to Kochattil’s account, she has been driving with Uber for the past year. She is a single mother raising three children and originally comes from Vijayawada. She moved to Hyderabad in search of better employment opportunities and now works as a cab driver to support her family and pay for her children’s education.

Today, I was using cabs to travel from one studio to another for the Union Budget debates. When I booked a @Uber_India cab from Nationalist Hub to 99TV in Hyderabad and two of the drivers cancelled after accepting the booking. @Uber automatically assigned a third driver and I… pic.twitter.com/aR194nbLHE

— Suresh Kochattil (@kochattil) February 1, 2026

“These days when women’s empowerment is bandied about in the media – here is a wonderful example of how a lady overcame adversity and keeps working hard,” Kochattil wrote.

The post attracted significant engagement on social media, with users responding to both the driver’s circumstances and the broader issue of women working in non-traditional roles. One user commented, “Though single mother is unwelcome, Nandini is facing the world boldly.” Another wrote, “Appreciate her courage to take up such a job for living. Hats off to her.” A third added, “Empowerment isn’t just a buzzword.”

Some users used the post to suggest policy or platform-level changes. One comment read, “Great to see such dynamic women, suggestion to Uber and Ola to create separate options for lady travellers to choose lady drivers and options to lady drivers to cancel requests if any passenger misuse in disguise of a woman passenger and such passengers be blocked in app.”

Others shared similar observations from their own cities. One user wrote, “I have seen women working as a delivery person in Flipkart, riding an e-rickshaw as well. Women are working hard for their family.” Another added, “In Delhi, I have seen autorickshaws and e-rickshaws driven by women.”

The discussion also referenced earlier instances of women entering transport roles traditionally dominated by men, including a video that previously went viral showing a woman in Bengaluru driving an autorickshaw, reportedly motivated by her interest in driving.

As reactions continued to pour in, several users emphasised that such examples reflected lived realities rather than abstract ideas. One comment stated, “This is how real women’s empowerment happens.” Another wrote, “This is real women’s empowerment, not a slogan, but the lived courage. Respect to Nandini for her grit, dignity, and determination as a single mother shaping her children’s future.” A further response noted, “It's great to see people working hard to educate the next generation.”