Two women drive by on their two-wheelers on a Calcutta street on Sunday. Picture by Amit Datta

Zipping around on a two-wheeler is no longer a male prerogative. Girls are mounting on the “fun vehicle” in increasing numbers — the spate of mishaps notwithstanding — pushing boys to the backseat.

The trend is confirmed by the boom in the sale of two-wheelers targeted at the fair sex.

“There has been a surge in the demand, with more and more girls in their 20s and women in their early-30s preferring to ride two-wheelers,” says TVS dealer Jigar Shah. “In 2003, I used to sell around 20 Scootys a month. Now, I sell 100. Waking up to the prospect in this sector, all major two-wheeler manufacturers are coming out with products targeted at women.”

But what has made two-wheelers so endearing to women? “Riding a two-wheeler is so much more fun than driving a car. It also gives a girl so much freedom. One doesn’t need any special skill to be able to travel on it,” says Kimberley Norman, who rides a Honda Deo.

Convenience in commuting is another key factor driving the craze. The number of women coming out to work, especially in the information technology and hospitality sectors, is at an all-time high. “Most of these women need to travel long distances to reach office. And they find it more convenient to ride two-wheelers than to depend on public transport. Besides, the condition of the city roads has become slightly better, making rides a bit safer,” says Lubna Zariwala, who rides a Scooty Pep to her office on Camac Street.

For Binita Ganguly, it makes more sense to ride her Hero Honda Pleasure than to change three autorickshaws to reach her Salt Lake Sector V office. “It’s very difficult for a woman to take public transport. Given a chance, everyone would avoid the elbowing and jostling in autorickshaws,” she says.

Keeping pace with the increase in demand, two-wheeler companies are factoring in the preferences and special needs of women while fine-tuning their marketing strategies.

TVS is organising a workshop called WOW (Women on Wheels), where a woman trainer will teach girls how to ride a two-wheeler. Hero Honda is planning to open retail outlets, called just4girls, which will be (wo)manned by ladies.