In city of etiquette, women’s travel needs take a back seat

HT captures the chaos of city commutes on a seatless safari, taking a look at the challenges women face while using public transport

LUCKNOW Is the city’s public transport system women-friendly, safe, comfortable and convenient? Deciding to find out, we, two reporters and a photographer from HT, started chasing public buses in Charbagh a day before the International Women’s Day, boarding a crowded bus bound for Chinhat from Rajajipuram at 10:30 am.

Despite designated seating for women, they find themselves squeezed uncomfortably close to male passengers, with some unable to get a seat at all.

The Charbagh bus stop was in its usual state of chaos and disarray and several commuters waited, all of whom sprinted towards an arriving bus that was already visibly bursting at the seams . Small wonder once on board, there was hardly any place to stand, let alone sit down.

Navigating through the chaos, we clung to overhead rods to avoid being jostled by the crowd of passengers. Although seats were marked for women, they found little respite as both male and female passengers outnumbered available seating.

With the state capital striving to position itself as the eighth magnet city in the country, attracting more people and investments, comprehending the accessibility and safety of public transport, especially for women, is of paramount importance. So we had embarked on this task to evaluate the gender sensitivity of Lucknow’s public transport system.

As the journey progressed, more passengers boarded at each stop, further crowding the already packed bus. Some passengers got down along the way, but new ones quickly filled their places, leaving the bus congested for the duration of the trip. Despite designated seating for women, they found themselves squeezed uncomfortably close to male passengers, with some unable to find a seat at all. Amidst the chaos of shoving and manoeuvering inside the bus, a woman passenger yelled , “These conductors take responsibility only for boarding people, not for seating them or dropping them off!”

After the arduous bus ride, we opted for an e-rickshaw to Indira Nagar Metro Station. Ironically, the three-wheelers too were packed to capacity, men and women sandwiched against each other with their belongings.

Many women, employed in the un-organised sector with meagre salaries, have no choice but to rely on such overcrowded transport options. According to eShram data, over 805,574 women in Lucknow work in the un-organised sector, highlighting the lack of viable alternatives.

Though the metro stands as a comfortable alternative, it is not a convenient option for many, being an expensive affair compared to shared taxis and buses. For example, travelling from Indira Nagar to Charbagh by metro costs ₹40 one way, while public buses cost ₹21.

Shefali Singh, travelling from Indira Nagar to Amausi airport, noted that the limited metro route of 21 stations made it impractical for many commuters.

Predators have not changed,preyed upon have adapted

During interviews conducted with women navigating the city, many expressed minimal safety concerns while utilising the public transport system. “Safety used to understandably be an issue before. Now however, if someone says or does anything, there is a good chance that the girl will retort. We are equipped to handle situations. The men, however, have not changed,” remarked 28-year-old Barkha Kumari, a daily bus commuter from Alambagh to Lekhraj for work.

Women have sadly become accustomed to a certain level of anxiety and discomfort when travelling via public transport.

A previous study conducted in Lucknow revealed that 88 percent of respondents encountered sexual comments while using public transport (Safe Safar, Safetipin, and UCL 2014). Safety considerations extend beyond the confines of bus interiors, particularly in urban India, where buses are the primary mode of public transportation, with 62 percent relying on them as per the national sample survey report. For women, safe, comfortable, convenient and affordable transport is essential for mobility.

Lack of public transport options at night

The most accessible mode of public transport in the city is also the most uncomfortable and unpredictable, as per woemn commuters. While the best connectivity of the city can be seen in the city transport buses departing from the Dubagga or Gomti Nagar depots, they are also irregular post 5 pm.

Ankita Shukla voiced concerns over limited bus frequency along her route, leading to extended wait times and challenges in movement, especially after 5 pm. “I often have to wait for 30 to 45 minutes for a bus in the evening. Often, the buses are so overloaded that they do not even halt at certain stops. In such situations, we have to resort to autos, which is much more expensive, and cannot be afforded everyday. I have to account for a possible delay of 1.5 hours to be able to reach my destination on time,” said Shukla. “The morning buses are 10-15 minutes apart, but at night the buses on this route are irregular and we always have to wait for at least 30 minutes before one comes along,” she shared.

Status of pink buses

Pink buses, launched here for the benefit of women passengers and run by the UPSRTC (State Road and Transport Corporation) do not run in the city and only on inter-district routes, with 17 of the 50 pink buses in the state cover Lucknow via different routes.

Ajit Singh, manager (technical), transport corporation said, “Initially the plan was to keep these pink buses exclusively for women passengers. Unfortunately, with that system our earnings dropped to 20%. From then on, these buses allow women and their family members as well. Even then they never fill to full capacity,” he shared. He added that these pink buses had women conductors but not drivers. “The women being trained for drivers’ jobs with the UPSRTC are not being assigned duties with pink buses as yet,” he said.

What NCRB data says

Women are susceptible to various kinds of aggression and crime while they are in transit, a fact they are forced to ignore out of compulsion. They may fall victim to stalking, sexual harassment acid attacks, assaults and insults with the intention to outrage their modesty.

In Lucknow, 35 cases of stalking were reported and 435 were reported in the state, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released in 2022. While zero cases of harassment in public transport were reported from Lucknow, the state recorded 87. The possibility of a lack of reporting, given the public transport conditions, would not be a far fetched assumption. Additionally, of the 19 metropolitan cities surveyed for the NCRB, Lucknow ranked third in rate of assaults with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty, with 387 recorded cases in 2021-22.