Noida to get special buses for women

To make public transport safer for working women, the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will run special buses for them from February-end. The buses will cater to residents of Noida and Greater Noida. Vinod Rajput reports.

To make public transport safer for working women, the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will run special buses for them from February-end. The buses will cater to residents of Noida and Greater Noida.

HT Image

The Noida and Greater Noida authorities, along with the UPSRTC, decided to launch the service after a series of reports in the Hindustan Times highlighting the plight of women passengers amid a poor public transport system.

In the first phase of the project, three low-floor buses, painted pink, will ply in the twin cities, covering MNCs, industrial units and other office hubs. The first bus would run on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, starting from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida. The second would ply on the Dadri-Surajpur-Chhalera (DSC) road so that it can cover Noida's special economic zone (SEZ), Phase 2 area and Greater Noida's Surajpur industrial area.

"By the end of February, we will roll out women-only buses for industrial hubs where working women face problems reaching home or the six Metro stations in Noida. We will chalk out the exact route and date of launch for the service in the next few days," said Sandeep Raizada assistant regional manager (ARM), UPSRTC, Noida.

"If we get a good response, we will add more buses," the ARM added.

"It is a good initiative to ensure a safe commute for working women. I appreciate Hindustan Times' safety campaign that forced the authorities to address our grievances," said Sudipta Saha, an MNC professional in Noida.