4 ladies special buses to counter gropers

Thanks to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport's (NMMT) latest decision of starting ladies special buses from May 1 in the city, female passengers will no longer have to jostle in public transport buses and tolerate misbehaving male commuters, especially during peak hours.

Ladies special: According to NMMT officials, four services will run daily - two each in the morning and the evening - for women passengers only. Representation pic

The decision was taken after the NMMT received numerous complaints from female passengers about being subjected to misbehaviour on behalf of male commuters. Also, issues related to safety of female passengers travelling at night in TTC- MIDC area was raised.

Hanumant Dalvi, chairperson, NMMT, said, "After receiving complaints from female passengers about misbehaving male commuters - during peak hours and at night - we have decided to start ladies special buses in the city. Initially, these buses will operate between Vashi and Koparkhairane, during peak hours. We discovered that the number of female passengers on this route is high and the peak hour rush inconveniences them. Four services will run in a day - two each in the morning and the evening. Once the service on this route becomes a success, we will launch more ladies special services in different parts of the city."

‘Waiting for buses'
"In our survey, we discovered that most cases of misbehaviour with women commuters in buses have reported from the TTC-MIDC area. As of now, we do not have enough buses to start ladies special services in that area, but services will be launched once we receive new buses from JNNURM. About 25 buses are likely to come by May-end," said an NMMT official, requesting anonymity.u00a0