Women hail AAP’s free bus schemes, opposition silent on issue

When Delhi went to polls in 2013, a year after the infamous December 16 gang rape case, women’s safety had become the major issue in the Capital’s political discourse.

When Delhi went to polls in 2013, a year after the infamous December 16 gang rape case, women’s safety had become the major issue in the Capital’s political discourse.

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As scenes of agitated protestors taking to the streets of Delhi demanding justice for the victim remained fresh in everyone’s minds, the issue found a place of prominence in the manifestos released by the three main political contenders — the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the then ruling Congress party.

In this election, of the 14.6 million voters, 6.6 million are female.

In 2015, when AAP returned to power winning 67 out of 70 seats, it rode on the promise of subsidised water and electricity, while the women’s safety issue was kept alive with the assurance of installing 150,000 CCTV cameras in the city and its buses.

However, the CCTV project did not figure on the ground till the middle of last year. Tenders were issued and work to install 280,000 cameras in residential areas began in June. The same month, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced free travel for women in buses and the Delhi Metro citing that the more that women use public transport, the more safe the would be as it will increase their presence in public spaces.

While the free metro ride scheme did not take off because of procedural issues, buses were made free for women from October, 2019. In addition, the government also announced the presence of a bus marshal in each of the DTC and cluster buses.

The scheme was quickly slammed by the opposition. The BJP said it was yet another “freebie” given by AAP government apart from the free water and electricity schemes.

For the Assembly polls that will be held on Saturday, Kejriwal has already promised to extend the free bus travel scheme to the students as well, if voted to power. The BJP and the Congress in their manifestos for upcoming polls have not specifically talked about giving free rides to women or students. The BJP’s manifesto promises to run more special buses for ladies, while the Congress plans to train women to be eligible to become bus and auto drivers, apart from penalising private firms who do not provide night cabs to women employees.

Many women passengers who have availed of the bus scheme claim that it has changed their lives for the better.

Rahima Sheikh (36) makes four trips everyday from residence at Badarpur to South Delhi to drop off and pick up her two sons from their school at Chirag Delhi.“Travel expenditure is a big part of my household budget. The free bus rides for women helps me save close to ₹1,500 every month. My husband, being the sole bread earner, earns about ₹9000. We spend ₹3000 on rent. You can imagine what the extra money means to us,” said Sheikh.

Sita (32) who resides at a slum in Dhaka village in Mukherjee Nagar says that ever since buses have become free she is able to visit her parental home in Govindpuri more frequently.

This may not necessarily mean a preference for AAP.

For example, when asked if it will be an issue she will keep in mind when she votes, Sita looks at her husband and says, “I vote for whoever he asks me to.”

According to experts, while the free bus rides scheme has positively affected the lives of women, it is hard to tell how much it would impact voting.

“The kind of buzz we hear about subsidised electricity and water is not there when it comes to free travel. The reason is that only a tiny sector of voters is benefitting. The scheme applies only to women and even among them, several might not prefer taking the bus even when it is free,” says Sanjay Kumar, Director of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS).

Kumar adds that the scheme may not play a big factor in helping AAP garner a sizeable number of additional votes. “Perhaps that is the reason why opposition parties are quiet about it since opposing it might make them appear as anti-women,” he says.

While the scheme is largely appreciated by women, challenges such as infrequency of buses and overcrowding are seen as issues that do not allow them to take full advantage of it. For a lot of women, long waiting periods for the bus come across as the biggest deterrent in availing the service. Several women also complain that buses do not halt at stops where a large cluster of women is waiting.

Pinky Yadav (29), who lives in Vikram Vihar and works as a domestic help in C R Park, says that on most days she ends up travelling by auto since bus timings are not dependable. “I cannot wait for so long since I have to be home before my children come back from school,” she said.

The lack of sufficient buses was raised by opposition parties soon after AAP had announced the free travel scheme. While Delhi presently has 5,789 buses to ferry around 4.2 million passengers a day, the requirement stands at 11 ,000 buses, which accounts for their infrequency.

Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research (CSR) is of the opinion that the scheme plays a big role in empowering women. “It gives a level playing field to women to bridge the gender gap. I can see a lot of service sector women labourers using this opportunity. Firstly their mobility has increased and, and secondly, the scheme also allows them to save money on travel,” she says.