With a rising number of women travelling alone and at times, late at night using public transport, worried families can now take a breather... for chivalry is definitely not dead.

Meet 46-year-old Saleem Pasha, an autorickshaw driver from J P Nagar 1st phase, whose courtesy to women passengers is something to be remembered.

The moment he is hired by a lone woman, he takes the phone number of the passenger's relative or friend and calls them from his mobile phone, informing them of where they are and where they're headed. As soon as the passenger reaches her destination, Pasha phones the relative or friend again and dutifully informs them of the woman's safe arrival. If that's not enough, he then immediately deletes the mobile number from his phone to ensure it is not misused!

All for Rebranding

Twenty years into the profession, Pasha was gutted when more and more people began branding auto drivers as 'rogues' and 'dangerous'.

"Not all of us are like that. I realised there was a need to do something different so that people would see we are human too, and that we care about the safety of women," Pasha told Mirror.

Pasha's chivalry came to light after one woman voiced appreciation for his courtesy towards women on a social networking site. The woman, identified as Vidya Joshi, posted his number requesting the traffic police to recommend him in case of any awards.

Ms Joshi's post reads: "In the city, when people hear mostly bad things about auto drivers, Pasha is an exception. My mother being a senior citizen aged about 67 had to travel alone to Sanjaynagar from J P Nagar 1st phase. I hired Pasha's auto and requested him to take my mother carefully. She also told him the destination and also the route map in which she had to be taken. Immediately, Pasha gave me his mobile phone number. On reaching, he called me and told me that his mother had been dropped safely. He even put me on to my mother so that I could confirm the same. The fact that she was safe was a great relief. I was very thankful to him."

Based on the number given on the post, BM contacted Pasha, who said it was his duty to protect women passengers when they were in his auto. "Being the father of two daughters, I know how I keep thinking about their safety when they are outside. I do not charge extra for the two calls I make to the passenger's loved ones," he says, proudly signing off.

Source: BM