A woman riding pillion on a bike taxi jumped off when the rider started harassing her, raising fresh concerns about the safety of women hailing bike rides.
Metrolife spoke to bike taxi users to understand their worries in the wake of the incident.
No mode of transport is completely safe at night, believes Harshita (name changed), 20. “I started opting for bike taxis because they are much cheaper. Plus, I always find bikes and autos safer than cabs as they are open. In case of an emergency, I can always jump off. The driver can’t lock me in,” she says.
However, the Hennur resident stopped using bike taxis earlier this year, after she was harassed by a rider. “I had booked a ride from my college to home in the evening, and after a few minutes he started speeding and getting into the bylanes. He was laughing and asked me if I was scared. Finally, when we stopped at a signal, I quickly got off. At that moment I was too shocked to even call the customer service and complain,” she says. She would feel safer with women riders. She hasn’t filed a police complaint as her parents aren’t aware that she used bike taxis. “They had warned me against it,” she says.
Pallavi N B, 21, prefers autos or bike taxis as they are safer and cheaper. The Hosakerehalli-resident says she would avoid bike taxis at night.
Public protection
The sentiment is common among women of all ages, says Tara Krishnawamy, co-founder of Political Shakti and Citizens for Bengaluru. “The safest thing for women is ‘eyes on the street’. I’m not referring to CCTV cameras or the presence of cops, but to the public on the streets. The more the street vendors and little shops on the street, and the more the people milling about, the safer the street. They provide natural protection from predators,” she elaborates.
Pratima Shantaveeresh, operations manager at a security agency, books bike taxis for her male employees. “Only young male employees are okay with it. I never book them for my female or older employees, as it is not safe. There have been instances of riders leaving passengers stranded midway,” she shares.
Short distances okay
Another bike taxi user, Tamara Hendricks, has taken 60-plus rides so far. “I have had a few awkward and uncomfortable rides. There
have been instances of speeding, and drivers who try to sit too close. But overall I don’t mind using them for short distances during the day,”
she says.
Dr Sachin Nagendrappa, psychiatrist at St John’s Hospital, uses bike taxis because they get him to his destination faster. “They are cheaper, and also help beat the traffic. I cover the 15 km commute from work to home in just 60 minutes, whereas it would take me more than 90 minutes in a car or auto. And I have had good riders so far,” he says.
'Fix public transport and infrastructure’
Lawyer and activist Vinay Sreenivasa questions the state government. “The problem here is that the state has failed to provide adequate and accessible public transport for women. Currently, BMTC only has 6,500 buses, of which only about 5,600 are functional. Plus, there is no last-mile connectivity and BMTC buses are unreliable,” he says.
He also points out the lack of regulation of app-based aggregators. Currently, there are two aggregators operating petrol-run bike taxis. As per government rules, only electric bikes can function as taxis. “How effectively is the government trying to deal with this?” he asks.
The Bengaluru City Police has a personal safety app called Suraksha. In case of an emergency an SOS feature is available on the app. However, urban design and planning has neglected the vulnerable, says activist Tara Krishnaswamy. “Women are among the most vulnerable of society. The more gentrified a locality, the less safe it becomes. The more urban design moves towards private transport and fewer public spaces, the less
safe it becomes for women,” she says.
Wallet factor
Travelling from MG Road to Whitefield costs:
Bike taxi: Rs 256
Auto: Rs 330
Cab: Rs 555
(When we checked at 5 pm on April 27.)
What happened
On April 21, a woman jumped off a moving bike taxi in Yelahanka to escape sexual harassment. A video of her jumping has gone viral on social media. The rider has since been arrested.