Delhi Women Don't Feel Safe on DTC Buses After 5 PM: Greenpeace Report Raises Urgent Safety Issues
A recent report by Greenpeace India, "Riding the Justice Route," revealed that the public transportation in Delhi is not working as a safe system for women. According to the report, 77% of women who were surveyed responded negatively about traveling alone at nights on DTC buses, after 5 pm. This is a highly pressing issue of the infrastructure for public transport in the capital city, especially after the sunset.
Pink Ticket Scheme Saves Money, Security Issues Continue
The Pink Ticket scheme by the Delhi government has provided a massive relief to women in terms of cost since 75% reported savings. It has enhanced usage of public transport among women; 25% reported traveling more by buses than before. However, still, 45% women respondents avoided bus travel, mainly for safety reasons.
Nightly travel is avoided for safety.
Night is a very problematic time for safety. When asked if they felt safe standing in a queue at night while waiting for DTC buses, 87 percent said they did not, and most of them wait over 10 minutes. This percentage of respondents has stayed for more than 30 minutes, which is claimed to be dangerous.
Affluent Women Also Travel Through DTC Buses
The survey interestingly shows DTC buses are used by all sections of women, irrespective of their background and position. While 58% of working women from Delhi's high-income group with monthly earnings up to ₹1 lakh use DTC buses, women from the other extreme strata of society stated that they use the bus 3 to 5 times a week. That clearly reflects the largeness of the system and the importance attached to it.
Insights from 510 Women Survey
Issues affecting women's perception of safety on public buses are presented in such a manner as to underscore the imperative need for improving safety protocols for all women to travel safely on the public transport network of Delhi, citing as many as 510 responses from women in the form of field surveys and social media platforms.
