A difficult journey to the hospital became the reason for a remarkable community initiative in Karnataka. After repeatedly rushing sick villagers to hospitals in their auto-rickshaws because ambulances were not readily available, a group of drivers decided to find a permanent solution. They pooled their savings, sought help from villagers and donors, and purchased a fully equipped ambulance worth around Rs 12 lakh. Today, the drivers themselves are taking turns to provide free emergency transport to residents of two villages in Bantwal taluk.
When auto-rickshaws became the only option during emergencies
In several parts of rural India, reaching a hospital during a medical emergency can be a challenge, particularly when an ambulance is not readily available. Residents of Kariyangala and Ammunje villages in Karnataka’s Bantwal taluk had faced this difficulty on multiple occasions. Whenever someone fell seriously ill or needed urgent medical attention, families sometimes had no choice but to depend on auto-rickshaws to transport patients to hospitals.For the auto-rickshaw drivers, however, these situations were not easy to handle. Their vehicles were not designed to transport patients requiring emergency medical assistance, and the absence of a dedicated ambulance made an already stressful situation more difficult for families. The repeated experiences eventually made the drivers realise that the villages needed a proper ambulance service. Instead of waiting for an outside organisation to address the problem, they decided to take responsibility themselves. The initiative was led by the Navodaya Auto-rickshaw Drivers and Owners Association of Badakabail in Kariyangala village, near Polali.
How small contributions turned into a Rs 12 lakh ambulance
What makes the initiative particularly noteworthy is how the drivers arranged the money. Rather than depending on a single large donation, the association members contributed through small daily savings. The amount collected from the drivers and owners was combined with financial assistance from villagers and other donors. The group purchased the ambulance for approximately Rs 10 lakh. Another Rs 2 lakh was spent on installing the necessary ambulance equipment in Mysuru, taking the total investment to around Rs 12 lakh.The contribution-based approach allowed people with modest earnings to participate in a project that would benefit the entire community. For the drivers, the ambulance was not simply another vehicle. It was a collective effort to ensure that villagers would not have to depend on ordinary passenger vehicles when someone needed urgent medical attention.
The drivers will operate the ambulance themselves
The association has also worked out how the service will function. There are around 26 auto-rickshaws operating at the Badakabail stand, and the ambulance will be parked near the same stand so that it can be accessed when an emergency arises. Interestingly, the auto-rickshaw drivers themselves will serve as ambulance drivers. This means the community that identified the problem and raised the money will also take responsibility for operating the service.The ambulance will cater to residents of both Kariyangala and Ammunje villages. The service will be provided free of cost, helping families access emergency transportation without having to worry about paying for the journey. By keeping the vehicle close to the auto-rickshaw stand and involving local drivers, the association hopes to make emergency transportation more accessible to people in the surrounding villages.
A community that has been contributing beyond this initiative
The ambulance project is also part of a larger effort by the association to support people in need. Every month, Rs 100 is collected from each auto-rickshaw driver to help underprivileged people. Over time, these contributions have helped the drivers and owners collectively raise more than Rs 4 lakh for various welfare activities. The latest initiative reflects the same spirit of collective responsibility. Each contribution may have been small individually, but together, the drivers, villagers and donors managed to arrange the funds required to purchase and equip an ambulance.For the residents of Kariyangala and Ammunje, the new vehicle represents more than improved transportation. It offers an additional option when a medical emergency strikes, reducing their dependence on auto-rickshaws for journeys to hospitals. The initiative also highlights how local communities can identify everyday problems and work together to address them. The drivers were familiar with the difficulties villagers faced because they had personally been involved in transporting patients during emergencies.Instead of treating those experiences as isolated incidents, they turned them into a reason to act. Their effort is a reminder that meaningful community service does not always begin with large organisations or substantial resources. Sometimes, it starts with a group of people recognising a shared problem and deciding that they can do something about it. For these auto-rickshaw drivers, the goal was simple: ensure that no villager has to depend on an ordinary passenger vehicle when an ambulance is needed.