Get Inspired, Be Empowered Forums Safety and Security How much it is safe for women to travel through public transport?

17 replies, 16 voices Last updated by Afshan Iqbal 2 years ago
  • Yash Tiwari
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    @yash
    #32063
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    Following the Delhi Gang Rape in 2012, the gap between men’s and women’s sense of safety became a national issue. The debate has since evolved to look at the underlying issues that create fear amongst women, instead of focusing on just extreme incidents of violence like rape. One of the key fears is how safe is it for women to use public transport. Women can be subject to sexual abuse even if they are driven in cabs by a driver or a male friend, or when using public transport like buses and trains. A majority of women surveyed said they would use public transport more if they felt safer. Almost 70% of women revealed they were likely to switch to cabs for the duration of their commute, while 78% claimed to avoid public transport during peak hours and would opt for an AC cab instead.

    Public transport is sometimes the cheapest method of transport, although for women this tends to be less of a driver. For many, it is just as safe as private modes of travel, such as car and taxi. However, women may feel safer in private vehicles because they perceive the driver will be looking after their welfare, while services such as bus drivers and metro staff are not seen in the same way. The principal drawback with public transport is often seen to be in the frequency of services, especially late at night and this can also be compounded by lack of last-mile connections between home and another point or transport hub. Women’s safety has always been of top concern while traveling through public transport. So if they are to travel, it would be with the assurance that they are safe. It is up to us to ensure this. Public transport is a cost-effective way of traveling and hence remains popular among people, including women. Women are more prone to become victims of crime when traveling alone especially after sunset; hence infrastructure needs to be carefully planned.

    Public transport is one of the major modes of travel in India today. While the growth in private vehicles has seen it offering competitive usage, public transport is still used far more to cover longer distances and beyond first or last-mile connectivity. However, more impressive has been the progressive increase in the share of women commuters using public transport. According to the report, women constitute about 60% of all trips made on public transport and this share is only expected to grow in the future.

    Semantee Chattopadhyay
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    @semantee03
    #32215
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    Desperately trying to escape wandering hands on a crowded bus; frantically walking home from the station on an empty street after a late-night shift; restlessly waiting for the first train at dawn; nauseatingly having to deal with unwanted stares on the metro are some of the things women face while using public transport. Numerous women are groped, leered at, catcalled every day when they use public transport. More than 80% of women have experienced harassment in public all over the world. More than 90% of sexual harassment goes unreported. This has to be changed and we as a society have to do something about it. More than 80% of women are afraid of being harassed in public transportation. Highly crowded trains during peak hours correlate with most sexual violence scenarios. Crowding isn’t just a comfort issue it’s also a safety issue. Women have indicated avoiding buses at certain times due to being followed on public transit. Public transport is the backbone of cities. It affects our quality of life. In many communities women’s access to education, jobs and health services, in other words, active participation depends on the availability and quality of public transport.
    Men and women use public transport in different ways. It is because of their different roles and economic activities. The reason for travelling a woman generally differ from that of men. The frequency and distance of their trips are also different. Safety and perceive social status play a complex role in shaping women’s transport behaviour as they move between urban, suburban and rural areas.
    To ensure women’s safety in public transports in India, police, transport agencies, and advocacy organizations need to collaborate and coordinate with one another to reduce sexual harassment and violence in public transport. Initiatives like installing CCTV cameras are not enough, agencies need to measure, plan, implement monitor evaluate and share insights to make long-term progress and deliver concrete improvements.

    PALAK KASHIV
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    @palak
    #32382
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    Most of the women for traveling use public transport through bus, train metro, auto rickshaw, women need to face very much difficulties travelling not only women But also girl student travel alone. It becomes hard to travel in over crowded bus because everyone is standing close to each others and some men’s try to touch female. For women who are pregnant they are traveling alone roads are there most of drivers drives vehicle rashly. There are so much cases of sexual assaults and rape that happens with women, women enters the bus till she left people keep stalking to her. All this things make women feel uncomfortable while traveling. It would be better if there will be a police officer in bus at night times and special seats reserved for pregnant women it would be helpful for women.it depends on city to city how the transport facilities are.Most of the women travel use public transport through bus, train metro, auto rickshaw, women need to face very much difficulties travelling not only women But also girl student travel alone. It becomes hard to travel in over crowded because everyone is standing close to teach others and some men’s tryto touch female. For women are pregnant they are traveling alone in public vehicle are there most of drivers drives vehicle rashly. There are so much cases of sexual assaults and rape that happens with women, some people just keep seeing violence on women nobody dares to stop them people just keep making video. Delhi comes first when it comes to travel in women enters the bus till she left people keep stalking to her. All this things make women feel uncomfortable while traveling. It would be better if there will be a police officer in bus at night times and special seats reserved for pregnant women it would be helpful for women.it depends on city to city how the transport facilities are. Most of the drivers never follow the traffic rules and sometimes they don’t even stop where passenger when to go.if tire of vehicle gets punctured then female have to stand for long hours till they get another help. In Mumbai there special local train ‘’mahila special” only for specific time. Also busses have special front seats reserved in bus in Mumbai. This small changes are important. Our transport ministry have to keep checking on travel because some of the bus condition are worst.

    simran arora
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    @simran
    #32387
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    The first thought that came to my mind when I first read this question was, no! Women are not at all safe to travel in public transport. Sexual assault or eve-teasing is a common assault when traveling in a bus, rickshaw, cab, or even metro.

    Even separating a train coach for women does not reduce the assaults in any public transport. Many a time, I have witnessed that men step into a woman’s coach without taking any notice. As a woman, traveling in general coach before covid-19 was a nightmare for me.

    I know women who stopped traveling in public transports because of such incidents. Newspapers and e-magazines report every day about eve-teasing or assaults, but the sad part is that it hardly makes a difference. The phenomenon that day-time is safer than night-time for women is a complete myth. The crimes do not see an hour it can happen at any moment.

    We cannot stop traveling or choose other routes because the story is the same everywhere! Observing the unsafety of women in public transport, one should raise their voice, fight for it, should not be scared of anyone, and should know be physically and mentally strong to handle such situations.

    Manpreet Singh
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    @manpreet
    #33104
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    According to a report entitled “What do females and girls want from urban mobility,” only 9% of Indian urban women feel comfortable public transit is secure, and 3% think it is entirely unsafe. A majority of women have said that public transit is reasonably safe and only at night is risky, as stated in the report. 35% of women believed that most city roadways were dark; only 7% felt that they had smooth walkways in their cities. In a survey performed by the Ola Mobility Institute, more than 9,000 women in 11 cities were asked about the current level of mobility within their communities.
    The lack of the last mile connectivity with about 60 percent of respondents who said it was necessary to improve was one of the significant questions raised by females. The survey revealed that the majority (80 percent) living on public transport was within a 15-minute walk, but only 35 percent decided to walk while others used private or shared transport to cover their distance. It was further highlighted that, by providing real-time information about the date of arrival, ladies had to wait for buses, trains, and metro in at least 15 minutes on average. Almost 34 of all the women interviewed emphasized that there was a need for specialized walks, while 57 percent indicated current walks that were either discontinuous or intrusive. Lack of road lighting was a critical factor for feeling safe, as 40% of women said they were lit up only on main routes. Almost 34 of all the women interviewed emphasized that there was a need for specialized walks, while 57 percent indicated current walks that were either discontinuous or intrusive. Lack of road lighting was a critical factor for feeling safe, as 40% of women said they were lit up only on main routes. The necessity for secure, efficient connectivity in the first and final miles is essential. Women and girls can reach Metro and coach stops securely, but their mobility will remain restricted if they cannot reach their destination safely. Women have renewed attention to access to and presence in public spaces.

    Samriti Sharma
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    @samriti
    #34148
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    Public transport is another unsafe environment for women as a matter of fact we know that cases of sexual harrasment are reported actively in public transport. Staring and unwanted attention are common in public transports. Only 9% of women in India consider public transport to be safe.
    The 2012 gangrape and murder case can be cited as an example here of how unsafe public transport is for women in India. The horrifying incident took place in the capital of India itself that is New Delhi. The Nirbhaya case is one of the most brutal crimes that took place in India.
    Public transport are seen and were created to provide facilities to the citizens of the nation but on the other hand there is gross misuse of the same as it has now become a means of Eve-teasing, harrassing many women passanger in particular. The government needs to take some stringent legal actions to prevent the same and protect the dignity of the woman.

    Aditi Sahu
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    @aditi
    #34203
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    Our world has developed a lot during the past decades and centuries, but one thing that has remained constant is the failure of governments to make this world SAFE for women. Women live in a constant fear of the threats that society poses to them day after day. One such threat is the unsafe public transportation.

    Public transport plays a major role in a lot of people’s life to commute to their jobs and various other things. But we have failed women time and time again by making this public transport unsafe for them. A lot heinous acts such as rape and molestation take place in the public transport, we hear the news and we do nothing except maybe walk in a candle march. But what would those candle marches do if we are not making change at the base level? We need to have to availability of safe transportation for women, if even the public transport can’t be safe for them, then what will be? Should women just sit inside the four walls of their house? No, right? So if we want them to step out and live their lives freely, we have got take necessary steps and make this world a safer place for them.

    Afshan Iqbal
    Participant
    @afshan
    #34537
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    Women are not safe in their own homes let alone travelling in a means of public transport in India. Women’s safety is a big issue in our country and that is the reason that women have the fear of traveling alone after a certain time limit and a certain place. India is a vast country that needs to be explored but women kill their dreams because of the solo travel fear. Let’s take an example, suppose you are a girl and you are outside and the time is 10 pm and you are alone in the transport. You will obviously have fear or even slight discomfort at that time. Women are strong but they also know that they are not safe and no matter how much they try to make themselves believe that they can handle the situations. It’s difficult because of the people who are unafraid of the law and have the audacity to commit crimes knowing that eventually they will be freed and because of the people who victim blame. The problem is that the government isn’t doing as much for women’s safety as they are obliged to do. Whether it’s travelling day or night, it’s unsafe for women across the country. Even if something happens to a woman, she’s to be blamed because this society has many objections to women travelling alone in public transport. So, it’s very important that the government does its best in order to provide safety for women at every place and at all times. Women travelling alone is a far-sighted dream in our country that needs to become a reality.

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