‘Pink Transport’ can be made even safer for India’s women’

There are currently 10 cities in India with a functioning metro rail system. The latest to begin operations was Hyderabad last November.  Several others are under construction, rapidly moving towards the finishing line like Greater Noida and Ahmedabad, while a bunch of other cities like Chandigarh, Bhopal and Patna are in the planning stage. One of the key decisions that metros planners face before they commence operations is whether or not to have a “ladies coach” .

What is the extent of the “ladies special transport” or “pink transport”  availability in India?

Mumbai’s local trains always had separate women’s compartments, as do Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata’s metro lines. In March 2018, Kolkata even got its first fully women managed metro station. There are also six Ladies’ Special trains in the Mumbai suburban train network, two on each of the three routes. In Tamil Nadu, and other southern states, all buses have reserved seats for women and men are reluctant to sit on those seats even if they are vacant!

Following the incident of December 16, 2012, of a young woman’s rape in a public bus, there have been rapid developments in transport, exclusively for women, often run by women themselves. “Pink auto-rickshaws” have emerged in Thane, Ghaziabad, Noida, Mumbai and Ranchi, among other cities. 

Bhubaneshwar introduced 300 pink autos in 2014, which have drivers who have undergone a strict psychological test, criminal background check and training. In Kerala, She-Taxi, functions like Ola and Uber, but is an all-woman taxi service hiring only women drivers. Police, relatives and friends of the passenger can also monitor the cab using the system. There are separate switches in the car for drivers and passengers to send distress signals to the centre. In the NCR, the Koala taxi service is an all woman drivers’ service that is particularly used for ferrying kids and old people.

India is not the only country with women-exclusive transport. Several Asian countries including modern ones like Tokyo have women only coaches in their metros.

Do women need reserved seats/ coaches in public transport? The obvious answer seems yes. Surveys and safety audits done in India show that both waiting for and using public transport is fraught with apprehensions and actual experiences of sexual harassment. While women of all classes have to contend with harassment, women workers in the unorganised sectors and younger women of all classes have been found to be particularly vulnerable. The burden of ensuring safety remains upon women. They try to ensure their own safety by not visiting certain places, staying indoors after dark, maintaining a dress code, and carrying pepper spray and safety pins, etc.  Thus, using ‘women only’ transport becomes one more tool in their armoury to keep safe.

However, there are other arguments that say that women-exclusive transport confines women to the periphery of public spaces and reinforces gender stereotypes where women are seen as  vulnerable creatures needing protection. Making women travel in specific coaches segregates them further and widens the gender divide. Yet, there are several practical reasons why in India, it is still a good idea.

The first is that women’s work participation in urban India in the organised sector stood at only 20.5 per cent as of 2011-12, which is among the lowest in the world. It has fallen from about 25 per cent in 2004-05. This is despite women’s education levels rising significantly in the same period. There is evidence to show that lack of security in public transit is one of the barriers to more women joining the workforce. 

Safe commuting becomes an important decision point for a woman when the job is located at some distance and requires travelling in buses or metros. It is vital to ensure greater participation of women in the labour force, which is essential for a healthy economy. Separate women’s coaches and seats may encourage this to a considerable extent.

The second reason is more specific to the passenger experience of travelling in an “all-women” vehicle or coach. Several women commuters on online forums admit to feeling more at ease during the travel. This is evident on any ride in the women’s-only coaches of Delhi metro. There is a sense of sorority and “girl-bonding.” They appreciate the freedom of not having to be vigilant about groping or staring by co-male passengers. Some listen to music on their headphones or read a book or newspaper, rarely looking up. 

They speak loudly, laugh freely, catching up with friends or colleagues on the phone or face-to-face and take selfies uninhibitedly. In the small town of Dehradun, a news report talks of widespread relief and happiness among women commuters upon the announcement of segregated seats for men and women.

Yes, it is an artificial setting and they have to meet the real world as soon as they get down. But if the availability of ‘women only’ coaches is going to give them the confidence to at least come out of their homes and access opportunities across the city, the choice is simple for metro planners.

The writer is the author of the book Urban Villager: Life in an Indian satellite town. Views expressed are personal.