All public buses must wait for women, orders Delhi govt

The decision came after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted he was getting complaints that bus drivers do not stop for women passengers

A driver of a cluster bus has been taken off duty till further notice for not stopping for women commuters, Delhi’s transport minister Kailash Gahlot said on Thursday. The decision came after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted he was getting complaints that bus drivers do not stop for women passengers since the ride was made free in all government buses.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that he was getting complaints that public bus drivers are not waiting for women since they get a free ride in all Delhi government buses. (HT Photo)

Gahlot added that all other staff including the conductor of the bus and the depot officials have also been identified and an inquiry has been initiated against them.

On Thursday morning, Kejriwal posted a video in which a cluster bus drops off a male commuter and drives by the stoppage without halting for three women commuters waiting to board it. The three women can also be seen running behind the moving bus. The bus route number, 623 Extension, plies between Shahdara Terminal and CPWD Colony, Vasant Vihar.

Such behaviour towards women commuters will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken against drivers. We urge all bus drivers to stop the bus at the designated stoppage for all commuters,” tweeted Kejriwal in Hindi.

Gahlot added that if people notice such irregularities, they should make a video and share it with the transport department for further action.

The free travel facility for women in DTC and cluster buses started on October 29, 2019. During 2021-22, women passengers availed 13.4 crore free trips in DTC and 12.69 crore in cluster buses. Women passengers are issued a single journey-based pass of ₹10 for both AC and non-AC buses in pink. DTC prints these passes and issues them to Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) for cluster buses.

According to the transport department data, for the free passes issued during 2021-22 ₹130.48 crore and ₹126.9 crore have been given to DTC and cluster buses, respectively, towards subsidy.