The Indian Express             12.08.2013

Safety first: PMPML to allow women to board buses from front door only

To ensure safe travel for women commuters, PMPML — the city’s
transport body that ferries 11 lakh commuters daily — is planning to
allow women, school and college girls to board buses from the front door
only. Significantly, PMPML is mulling the possibility of reserving
seats for women, unlike the current practice of reserving seats on the
left side. It is also likely to make it compulsory for buses to halt at
all stops en route.

These steps will be taken up for discussion at the ensuing board
meeting of the PMPML. The meeting is usually attended by PMPML
management, which includes chairman and managing director R N Joshi and
joint managing director Pravin Ashtikar, mayors of both Pune and
Pimpri-Chinchwad, municipal commissioners of PMC and PCMC and other
directors.

The steps are being taken in the wake of a recent government
report that highlighted that crime against women are increasing in
Maharashtra and there was a need for a concerted effort to ensure their
safety, said PMPML officials. The steps are also a part of PMPML’s plan
to increase its popularity among commuters and wean them away from using
personal vehicles that are choking Pune’s roads.

Currently, women and girls jostle with men to board buses from
the rear door, which is too narrow even for two persons to get in at the
same time. Besides, complaints from women about men deliberately
pushing them aside or indulging in objectionable behaviour are common,
officials said. Also, when a bus arrives at a stop, it does not halt in
front of the shed, which means women have to chase the bus and then
struggle to board it.

“If women are allowed to board from the front door, they would
breathe easy and feel safe,” said Prashant Inamdar of Pedestrians First,
which has sent several suggestions to PMPML to make its services safe
for women but has received no response so far. “Buses are overcrowded,
making commuting very inconvenient for women. The result is that they
avoid buses and those having no alternative have to suffer. It is
necessary that PMPML should pay special attention to women and make
commuting convenient for them. Travel by public transport would also
enhance safety for women,” he said.

“Only at major stops, hordes of commuters get down. Women should
board after commuters alight. Only after they have boarded the bus, the
driver would start the bus,” said Jugal Rathi of PMP Pravasi Manch.

Another significant step that PMPML will consider is to reserve
seats for women in all its buses. Currently, seats on the left side are
reserved for them. It is also planning to put up boards in buses,
requesting male passengers to let women sit first and occupy the
remaining seats. Yet another steps includes halting buses at all stops.
“Even empty buses do not halt at stops. Commuters keep waving, but
drivers don’t care. This sends out a wrong message to commuters who then
travel by private means or autorickshaws. Halting buses will infuse
confidence among commuters,” officials said.

PCMC Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi, who is one of the directors
of PMPML, said they would take all necessary steps to ensure safety of
women on its buses. “We will take up the issue of allowing women to
board from the front door in our next board meeting. Reservation of
seats will also be discussed,” he said.

Every day, PMPML plies around 1,500 buses. If there is consensus
on the issue, Pardeshi said, the steps would be implemented soon. “The
safety of commuters, especially women, is high on PMPML’s agenda,” he
said.

Joint MD Pravin Ashtikar said, “We are taking all necessary steps
to make women commuters feel safe in PMPML buses.” He said PMPML
understands the need to makes its service safer for women but the
efforts are hampered by shortage of buses.