More
than a pleasant journey, our travel tales in private and public
transport are
about how one
has to struggle to get into a bus, the number of
elbows and feet that have to be dodged, cranky conductors, seawater
drenched tourists, messy eaters, and much more. Finding a vacant seat
and a fellow passenger gracious enough to let you occupy exactly half
of it is a rare gem. These issues are apparently universal and
addressing at least one of them are the recent rules set by the Los
Angeles transit officials
in the USA,
who have
decided to take action against the
‘manspreading’ menace where
men
or women with problematically wide stances could face hefty fines.
Those violating the strict
‘one
ticket, one seat’
policy will
be fined.
In
Goa, many women face various issues when it comes to travelling
in buses, which
is actually the
most convenient mode of transport in the state. Many women rely only
on public transport to commute between work and home. Working
throughout the day, they have to board buses which are already
overcrowded.
Making
matters worse are the drunken men who board the bus. “Some men
enjoy a quick drink before they board the bus back home and that
creates a nuisance. Firstly,
with the strong odour of the drink that fills the entire bus,
and secondly, they cannot stand still in an already crowded bus. I
take the last bus to get home and there used to be two drunkards who
would board the bus every
day. They used
to fall on other women and behave
as though they weren’t in their senses; but they always knew which
stop to get down at, and did so agilely.
I told the conductor not to take them in the bus again if they were
drunk or the women would not pay their tickets if they were in the
bus. Once the warning was given, the men have not
been seen in the
bus,” says Pooja Naik from Colvale.
“Buses
in Goa are always crowded. As much as we grumble about it,
overcrowding is inevitable as for many, reaching on time is more
important than comfort. I’ve gotten used to the crowded buses now.
What is irritating is the inconsiderate nature of some fellow
commuters who spread out and stand, thereby occupying the place of
two, or object to you holding the back rest in front of them when
they are already comfortably seated. Since we all have to share one
crowded bus, things would be much easier if all were a bit more
accommodating,” says Lianne
Dias,
a student from Margao.
With
modern technology comes more problems for young girls who travel by
bus. Sylvia D’Cruz from Mapusa learnt it when she spotted a migrant
labourer clicking photographs of girls in the buses without their
knowledge. “I noticed that he was holding the phone in a very weird
manner and not in a normal browsing
position. I
understood something was wrong and directly told him to hand over his
phone. I found my photograph and slapped him across his face. When
other commuters started looking, I showed them the photographs of
other girls who were
on the bus. I
formatted his phone and told the conductor to get him out of the
bus.”
In
order for a positive change to take place, the public in general have
to be more aware, considerate and proactive. “When
a man misbehaves with a woman in the bus, most women will nudge or
elbow him, give him a stern look and keep quiet. Raising their voice
is seldom the first reaction. Others who notice the goings-on will
also turn the other way. If no one speaks up, these things will
continue. Conductors need to take responsibility of their passengers.
People in general should be supportive so that the victim feels
confident in speaking up and not ashamed in getting people’s
attention,” says
Janet
Noronha.
Commuting
by public transport in necessary in today’s day and age and can
also be a fun experience. But for this, commuters, men as well as
women, need to respect each other and the law. And not hesitate in
speaking up and taking action.
