No reservations, only chaos

No reservations, only chaos
Bangalore,







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It’s all there on paper. Reserved seats for women on Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses and so called “women special buses”. But board any BMTC bus and you may find it hard to locate the reserved seats as they are usually occupied by men as are the women specials. “Women Special buses were started by BMTC keeping in mind the safety of women passengers. We have recruited more women conductors so that the girls travelling on BMTC buses feel more secure,” says BMTC chief traffic manager (operations) Dastagir Sharief.

But while the BMTC may feel it has done its duty by introducing these buses and recruiting suitable staff for them, the ground reality is different.

The women special buses are a flop as they are more often used by men than by women.

Speak to women conductors and they will tell you they have registered numerous complaints with the BMTC grievance cell of being harassed and illtreated by the male passengers.

While the inscription on the front seats in the regular buses says they are reserved for women, they are usually occupied on a first-come, first-serve basis by the male passengers.

Women are, therefore, not getting the promised safe journey in comfort on BMTC buses, particularly as the unmanned buses are always crowded and have all sorts of miscreants present to take advantage of the situation.

Young girls and college students frequently deal with eve-teasing and other kinds of harassment.

The buses are also hunting grounds for pickpocks.

BMTC officials however, say while there may be a few such instances, on the whole the buses are safe for one and all, including women and old passengers.

Unfortunately even senior citizens have little security and comfort on board the BMTC buses. While they are given concessions both on the ordinary and Volvo buses, the older people have nothing to protect them against pickpockets and jostling crowds that can cause them injury if they happen to fall.

The question is: What is the BMTC going to do about it?