An uncomfortable journey

Daily struggle

The rise in the number of commuters has led to overcrowded buses on busy routes, and by and large, the experience women face when using these facilities has become a harrowing one.

With the Bangalore Metropolitan Transportation Corporation being the sole public bus transport provider for Bengalureans in urban and suburban areas, women commuters face safety issues in overcrowded buses.

While official policies are beginning to take a tougher stance against the sexual harassment of women, most public spaces remain largely neglected.

 There are diverse forms of gender-based violence that occur on a daily basis in public transit, including sexual abuse, physical and mental harassment, groping, intimidation and assault. 
 
Chaitra, a college student, says, “There is undoubtedly a lot of sexual harassment that happens on public transport but not much is done to prevent it.” While the BMTC’s official website claims that it is committed to providing quality, safe, reliable, clean and affordable travel, the question to be asked is how safe is it really? The official helpline supervisor for BMTC, Prakash, denies receiving any complaints pertaining to sexual harassment on buses.

He says, “There were few complaints regarding drivers not stopping the bus at the bus stops and conductors not issuing tickets or giving change, but we havent received any serious complaints.”

With more women coming out that they have faced some or the other form of sexual abuse on buses, whether it is from fellow passengers or the conductors themselves, some gender-friendly preventives are needed.

 Varsha MD, a 20-year-old student, says, “Being a victim of on board misbehaviour twice, I have learnt the lesson to never travel in a crowded bus; you never know what trouble is lurking where.”

To reassure a safe passage for its commuters, the BMTC had announced that all their buses would be installed with CCTV cameras. But come June, 6,000 buses still await installation. “I always prefer to board an empty bus and occupy the window seat, that way it’s better than getting “brushed” by the conductors or other men,”adds Varsha.

Syeda Saeymah, a final-year BCom student, says that it’s always good to shout loudly and as clearly as possible at anyone who touches you.

“Once, a man was eve-teasing my friend so we called the conductor for help. But to our dismay, he just ignored us and said that she was the one who prompted him. My elder sister and I had to handle the situation by ourselves — we threatened him and he jumped down at the next stop,” she adds.

Incidences of even minor violence have profound consequences for women. “For many women, the fear or trauma of violence makes them even more fearful of travelling to work or being outdoors alone,” says Raja Laxshmi, an employee at Pearson.

“It’s saddening and really tough to handle misbehaviour, especially from the conductors. If you ask them why they did what they did, they usually pretend like nothing happened and say ‘I was just going my way’,” she adds.

While new laws and protective strategies, such as gender segregation and more CCTVs, could be short-term answers, a real solution is not in sight.