Private players fill the gap for Gurgaon commuters

While safety in public transport remains a concern for women in Gurgaon, the private sector has come up with several initiatives to make commuting safer for them.

While safety in public transport remains a concern for women in Gurgaon, the private sector has come up with several initiatives to make commuting safer for them.

Private operators of auto, taxi and shuttle bus services are competing with each other to provide the safest mode of transport to women. (HT File Photo)

Private operators of auto, cab, taxi and shuttle bus services are competing with each other to provide the safest travel options to the women, who comprise a major chunk of daily commuters in the city.

Mobile safety applications such as SafetyPin and Himmat are now being used by cab service providers to track locations of the vehicles.

Many cab and bus service providers say they cater to many women and so ensuring their safety is their priority.

“Over 55% of our commuters are women and we try to ensure maximum safety for them. We are now tying up with a logistics company to track autos and send rescue squad to the location in case of any emergency situation” said Vinti Doshi, co-founder of AUTOnCAB.

She said this will be better than the woman passenger sending her location to friends and families for ensuring her safety.

Similarly, over 40% of the passengers of Shuttle bus service are women.

“We are using technology-driven initiatives like customer profiling to ensure that the women commuters are safe. We also use algorithmic- based booking to ensure that female passengers travelling alone are never the last to be dropped,” said a spokesperson of Shuttl.com.

Even Meru cabs have started ‘Meru Eve’ services for women passengers.

All women drivers, recruited for the service, receive training in safety, self defence and emergency procedures.