The swanky new fleet that the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has received from the Union Ministry of Urban Transport under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission appears to be quite unpopular with the city's womenfolk.
The sleek, smooth, silent cruisers with adequate leg room and increased floor-space ought to promise a comfy ride, but woman commuters in the city claim that they are the most gender-insensitive city services ever designed.
Hand-grips
“These buses are more in height than the existing ordinary and express services, but with a lowered floor, resulting in increased distance from floor to ceiling. The hand-grips are not fixed and whenever the driver applies brakes, a violent jerk gets us off-guard,” says P.Swarna Gowri, a bank employee. The grips slide ahead, throwing the standing passengers out of balance. Men, due to their advantage in height, manage to stay firm.
Women short in stature find it even more difficult to stand in these buses.
Unable to reach the hand-grips, they are compelled to hold the seat rods, which are placed lower than the average waist level.
Larger leg room allowed between two seats makes it even more unwieldy for them to hold the rods of two seats in both the hands.
“It is very common for women to stand holding the seat rods in the ordinary buses. In the new buses, that facility is denied. The buses have a smooth ride, travel faster and hence brakes are often so sudden that single-hand grip is not sufficient,” says Veena Rao, another commuter.
Faulty application
Rather than design fault, it is the faulty application of the design that is antagonising these buses to women, feels Kaladhar Bapu, a design expert.
“They are the best-designed buses, widely used in European countries for long journeys. Yet, they fail when applied to Indian cities, because commuters do not look for seating comfort for the short distances they travel within the city. City buses should be designed keeping in view the requirements of standing passengers. The Ministry should have also kept in mind that Indian women are shorter,” he says.
Small seats
One more common complaint is that the modular seats are too small to accommodate a third person, which was possible in the non-JNNURM express services with spacious seats.
A unique feature in these buses, whereby the first two rows face each other, also has women fidgeting.
“Offered a choice, I would avoid the first row where I feel exposed to the glances of all men in the back rows. It makes me extremely uncomfortable and conscious of myself,” Sabrina Shaheen, a student says.
Saddest part is that the buses have been introduced across the country, with little attention paid to the gender consensus.
