Whether you
live in the city or in the villages of Goa, there are times when you travel by public transport, especially the
bus. For most women, the bus journeys begin at school time, progressing to
working years. The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about his
government offering free rides for women in their Delhi Transport Corporation
(DTC) and cluster buses for free. They are offered a pink ticket when they
board the bus.
The Delhi CM tweeted
“as a brother” on the occasion of bhai dooj, a festival, which like raksha
bandhan, reveres the role of brothers as friend and protectors of sisters. His
governments move to offer free travel to all women on Delhi’s buses, has
attracted accolades across the political and social spectrum. This prompted
Café to ask Goa’s women on whether such a move would be welcome in Goa.
Moreover, this gave us an opportunity to speak about a whole lot of issues
concerning women travellers that need to be addressed to allow them to travel
comfortably and safely
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Café speaks to women
commuters about the initiative and what problems they face in their daily
commute on state run buses:
It will be a very good initiative to start
in Goa. Personally, I don’t like travelling by Kadamba buses but if they start
such an initiative, I’ll definitely travel. They should maintain their buses
and then start such schemes. Girls should avoid travelling in KTC buses
especially at night. I was travelling from Bicholim to Mapusa when the bus
broke down at around 8:30pm. As a girl, I was really worried about what to do
next. This wasn’t the first time I was experiencing it but it usually happens
during the day time.
Ashvita Arun Fadte, Mapusa
This initiative should start here in Goa
too. But if you compare the lifestyle of Delhi and Goa, it is quite different.
Delhi is a metro where the city life is fast but in Goa, there is no proper
discipline in buses. The bus drivers go on taking passengers even once the bus
is full. You never get proper place to either sit or stand. The buses are
rarely on time and there is a constant race between two buses, putting the
passengers at risk.
Diksha Honavar, Marcel
Women might not be treated well by
conductors and the other passengers travelling because they have to pay their
fare. The bus conductors try to fit passengers in a packed bus and some men
take advantage of it and try to touch girls in whatever ways possible. When we
pay the fare, exact change is not given back by the conductors, and at times,
ladies are seen standing, because men sit on the reserve seat and refuse to
budge.
Jenicia Mascarenhas, Porvorim
It’s somehow not fair. It’s regression on
terms of women equality. It will definitely work during rush hours where a lot
of lone women travel but not otherwise if it’s kept full-time. It might further
degenerate the already existing transportation mobility woes in Goa. There are
bigger issues to address. There are really long lines almost on a daily basis.
If KTCL gets a daily report of the volume of people, why is there a shortage?
Also, some of the buses are old and very badly maintained and the new ones
don’t have provisions to store luggage or even bags.
Marilyn Pinto, Margao
Being a feminist who believes in equality
for sexes and considering the scenario in Goa, I feel women are capable enough to
buy a bus ticket for themselves. What the Government could rather do is work
towards improving the security of women. Out of personal experience, I strongly
believe that majority of the women, especially students, encounter situations
of abuse while they travel. Maybe initiating buses exclusively for women with
women conductors could help.
Kimberly Fernandes, Cuncolim
I think it is a good initiative taken by
the Delhi government but for a state like Goa it’s beyond imagination. It looks
convenient but it will run for a loss. Buses in Goa are overcrowded, very
rarely you get place to sit and buses are never on time. The behaviour of men
in buses is also temperamental. Sometimes they will offer the women reserved
seats and sometimes they just sit on those seats and ignore women. They won’t
even give women who are pregnant or old a place to sit.
Jessica Pereira, Aldona
