Women commuters in Delhi buses face discrimination by drivers, conductors over free travel: Survey

Women commuters in Delhi buses continue to face discrimination by drivers, conductors and fellow male passengers due to them getting the facility of free travel, according to a survey report compiled by environment watchdog Greenpeace.

In a statement, the Delhi government said it has taken strong action on such complaints, even blacklisting drivers, and will take all corrective measures promptly to overcome such issues in the near future.

The report states that the percentage of female commuters in Delhi buses has increased to nearly 33 in 2023, up from 28 in 2021 and 25 in 2020, after the city government launched the free-travel scheme in October 2019 for women commuters in state-run buses.

According to the survey report, titled 'Halt for women bus users in Delhi', about 54.2 per cent women respondents said they were at the receiving end of snide remarks from drivers and male passengers over the free travel scheme.

Around 80.2 per cent of the women surveyed reported instances of drivers not halting for them at bus stops. On the other hand, 45.6 per cent women denied facing any discrimination and 0.2 per cent refused to comment on the issue.

The survey includes responses from 500 female bus users from different age groups, classes and occupations. The survey was conducted between June and July in both offline and online modes.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, in a statement, said it is strongly committed towards ensuring the well-being of women and their empowerment.

'We have been taking requisite steps to ensure this. To ensure women's participation in public transport, the Delhi government has been providing free pink tickets, till September '23, 162 crore pink tickets have been sold,' it added.

The government said the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) have 62 female bus drivers to overcome such discrimination and incentivise women's participation.

'It is unfortunate that after these measures, a few women are facing some kinds of discrimination at different places. The Delhi government has taken strong action on such complaints, even blacklisting such drivers, and will take all corrective measures promptly to overcome such issues in the near future,' it said.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had directed officials in May to take measures to avoid incidents of drivers not stopping the vehicles at bus stops for women passengers. These included the deployment of more than 200 traffic teams, sensitisation of bus drivers and creation of their centralised database. PTI SJJ SLB RC