Unsafe in BMTC bus? raise 'Durga' alarm

In order to make public transportation safer for women, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has signed a deal with Dare to Understand behaviour, Respond appropriately and Guard ourselves Ably (DURGA) to install panic buttons in case of emergency.

The initiative was done to safeguard women or children, who are travelling in buses against any sort of physical harassment, and the alarms are called 'Durga'.

The user can alert the staff and passengers on the bus, through the trigger of these buttons. Pictorial representations displayed helps people who are illiterate as well to raise an alarm. Switches placed on either side of the bus are at a convenient height, where even kids can reach out in case of emergency. The sound is loud enough that even people outside the bus can hear it.

As soon as the alarm is triggered, a buzzer beeps for 20 seconds. The driver is expected to stop the bus and check the issue and only after resolving it can her turn off the switch. In case of the switch not being turned off, the buzzer continues to beep every ten seconds. In addition to the sound, it also turns on the flashlights installed both inside and outside the bus, to attract the attention of people commuting on the road.