Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), the transport wing of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, will add 10 Tejaswini Buses, exclusive buses for women, to its fleet soon. NMMT officials said the State government has released ₹2.5 crore to purchase the buses.
Nilesh Nalawde, transport manager, NMMT, said, “This is the first time that the NMMT will be having exclusive buses for women. We have received the funds and will be floating tenders soon.” Kusum Nair, a resident of Kharghar, said the new buses would make a difference for senior women commuters. Suhasini Rao, a resident of Vashi, said the 10 buses should be not ply exclusively for women passengers. “I don’t see the point in having exclusive buses for women. It would be better if they add these buses to the regular fleet.”
Riddhi Doshi, a resident of Kharghar, said, “The need of the hour is inclusivity and not exclusivity. I think the NMMT must increase their bus services to cater to the needs of all passengers and not reserve them only for women. We need to work towards equality. Public spaces and transport services have always been the binding factors where people learn to empathise with each other, be sensitive to each other, and create a tolerant, accepting city.”
The bus service will ensure women are able to travel without hassles during peak hours. The NMMC is among six corporations — including Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and Dombivli, Pune and Nagpur — where the women-only exclusive buses. The State government has allotted ₹50 crore for the ‘Tejaswini Buses’ project.
The NMMT will be also soon adding 65 buses to its current fleet of 476 buses: 144 CNG buses, 80 diesel buses, 82 Volvo buses, 95 mini and midi buses, and 75 Jan bus.
NMMT officials said they would be floating tenders in the next three days. “We are scraping 25 old buses and adding 65 buses,” said Mr. Nalawade. “We have already scrapped 15 old buses that were 10 years old and had plied 1.5 lakh km. The remaining 10 buses will also be scrapped soon.” Mr. Nalawade said, “Of the 65 buses, 10 will be women-only Tejaswini buses. The remaining 55 buses will be brought by the NMMC at an estimated cost of ₹25 crore. The tenders will be floated in three days.”
