While the pandemic is spreading faster than ever, staying locked down has affected the economy adversely and this has translated to businesses shutting down and several people losing their jobs. For those who depend on daily wages, this has meant losing their bread and butter. Owing to this, lockdown restrictions have slowly been eased but this could mean a compromise on safety if necessary precautions aren’t taken.

Since people going back to work means a lot of people using public transport, commute safety needs to be a key focus area to hinder the spread of the virus. To address this, CEAT came up with a new campaign called ‘#GoSafeWithCEAT’ where the company has been providing safety equipment to auto-rickshaw drivers. This comes in the form of ‘CEAT Shield of Safety’, a safety kit that comes equipped with masks, gloves, surface cleaner and sanitizer alongside a bottle holder and a protective cover to be fit inside the auto to prevent contact between the driver and the passengers. Drivers come in contact with a large number of people and it is important that they stay isolated from their passengers. CEAT also provided them with details on how to sanitize their vehicles and stay safe during these trying times. These kinds of measures help in making the roads safe for both passenger and driver at a time when a feeling of unease persists regarding the use of mass public transport.

Amit Tolani, CMO at CEAT Tyres Ltd stated, “With apprehensions amongst the commuters on preferring public transport options this initiative will help auto-rickshaw drivers to solve their problems of not getting any rides during the Unlock phase. With the ‘CEAT Shield of Safety’, we are trying our best to ensure the safety of the auto-rickshaw community as well as the passengers. With this in place already, we are planning to explore similar initiatives in other verticals of commuter segments and in various parts of the country.”

The ad campaign takes an emotional ride into the lives of auto drivers in India and brilliantly shows how they’re facing a rough time due to the pandemic and how safety precautions could help them get back on their feet.