'Promoting Women Motorcyclists in Bangladesh: Building Skills & Unlocking Opportunities'

BRAC's Road Safety Programme, organised a workshop titled "Promoting Women Motorcyclists in Bangladesh: Building Skills & Unlocking Opportunities" in collaboration with the World Bank, under the project called "Promoting Women Motorcyclists in Bangladesh", at the Renaissance Hotel in Dhaka on 15 October 2025. The workshop brought together policymakers, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, private sector representatives, NGOs, driving schools, women motorcyclists, and influencers in biking to discuss strategies for enhancing women's mobility, independence, and economic participation through motorcycling.

S.M. Sazzat Ali (NDC), Commissioner, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, attended as the Chief Guest. Special Guests included Abu Momtaz Saad Uddin Ahmed, Chairman, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA); Kazi Golam Towsif, Additional Secretary and Director General (In-charge), Department of Women Affairs, Ministry of Women & Children Affairs and Dr. Marina Nazneen, Joint Secretary, Road Transport and Highways Division.

In his welcome remarks, Ahmed Najmul Hussain, Director, BRAC Road Safety Programme, highlighted the need to ensure women's safe and affordable access to motorcycles to enhance their mobility and livelihood opportunities. He shared that the "Promoting Women Motorcyclists in Bangladesh" project, implemented in collaboration with the World Bank, seeks to address barriers and create opportunities for women as independent commuters and income earners. Citing BRTA data, he noted the growing presence of women in motorcycle use, though safety and representation remain challenges. He mentioned that BRAC's initiatives-Four Wheels to Freedom, Safe Road for Women and Girls, AGNEE, and SHIKHA-have already trained over 2,000 women, promoting safer and more inclusive mobility. He called for joint efforts among government, private, and development partners to ensure women's full participation in Bangladesh's evolving transport sector.

A key highlight of the workshop was a research presentation titled "Understanding Barriers & Opportunities for Women Motorcyclists in Bangladesh", conducted across Dhaka and Chattogram. The study revealed strong interest among women to drive motorcycles but also significant barriers including social stigma, family restrictions, harassment, financial constraints, lack of women-friendly training, weak licensing compliance, and poor market linkages.

The research further showed that many women drivers are already engaged as trainers, rideshare drivers, parcel couriers, and market influencers. Nearly all women passengers prefer female riders, highlighting strong market demand. However, more than half of the aspiring riders cannot afford motorcycles, with only a small percentage accessing institutional financing. Safety remains a major concern, with more than half of women drivers reporting road accidents, exacerbated by weak enforcement and disorderly traffic conditions. Peer networks and role models were also found to be critical motivators, with many passengers inspired to drive motorcycles by observing other women riders.

Participants engaged in thematic breakout sessions addressing socio-cultural barriers, access to finance, market linkages, employment opportunities, safety, and policy compliance. These discussions culminated in a draft action plan outlining strategies for skill development, licensing, financing, and market integration to support women motorcyclists.

A panel discussion titled "Commit to Act: Supporting Women for Safe Commute & Earning" featured industry leaders including Zia Ashraf, Co-founder & COO, Chaldal Ltd.; Mohammed Mozammel Haque, Head of Distributor Finance, City Bank PLC; Syed Abdul Momen, AMD & Head of SME Banking, BRAC Bank; and Farmina Hossain, Director Operations, BURO BD as panelists. In the discussion, the need for driving training, facilitating the ease of women's licensing, affordable financing, employment and cross-sector collaboration to promote women's participation in motorcycling was emphasised.

The special guests shared their perspectives on advancing women's mobility in Bangladesh. Dr. Marina Nazneen, Joint Secretary, Road Transport and Highways Division, emphasised the importance of supporting women through enhanced mobility opportunities and encouraged them to pursue training and professional engagement in this growing sector.

Kazi Golam Towsif, Additional Secretary and Director General (In-charge) of the Department of Women Affairs, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, praised BRAC's efforts in empowering women and promoting safer mobility for them. He also expressed interest in exploring future collaboration opportunities between the Department of Women Affairs and BRAC.

Abu Momtaz Saad Uddin Ahmed, Chairman of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), emphasised the need to ensure safer roads for women and mentioned that a guideline is currently being developed to make roads and commuting safer for women.

The workshop concluded with remarks from the Chief Guest, S.M. Sazzat Ali (NDC), Commissioner, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, who commended BRAC's efforts in creating a safer, more inclusive transport ecosystem and reaffirmed the commitment and support of the police for gender equality in the transport sector.