The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will soon have a fleet of 25 pink Sarathi vehicles on the city’s roads to attend to the complaints of women passengers travelling in its buses. The vehicles — procured under the Central government’s Nirbhaya scheme — will be operational in a week, said the managing director of BMTC, Mr. N.V. Prasad. The BMTC is in the process of introducing a new helpline number for passengers. Instead of the existing 11 digit number, the new one will have only four digits, and will be easy to recall.
“When a woman passenger is in need of help, she can call the helpline. The executive helpline will contact the nearest Sarathi team which will attend to the grievance. The Sarathi team will also coordinate with the police,” said Mr. Prasad.
While safety of female passengers will be a priority, the fleet will also take on other tasks such as manning traffic movement at bus bays, making sure that drivers stop at the designated stops, taking action against bus crew when they fail to close the door once the vehicle is in motion, and ensuring that men are not occupying seats reserved for women.
The BMTC has received ₹56 crore under the Nirbhaya scheme for various projects aimed to empower women and ensure their safety. The BMTC has also decided to install 1,000 CCTV cameras inside its fleet of buses.
The BMTC also decided to build a waiting lounge exclusively for women at major bus stations in the city. “Fifteen stations in Bengaluru have been identified including Majestic, Shantinagar, Yeshwanthpur and Kadugodi among others,” said BMTC officials. The Corporation is likely to spend ₹10 to ₹12 lakh per lounge and has floated tender for the project.
The BMTC has also started training women to drive heavy and light motor vehicles. Last year, it had taken up the initiative to train 1,000 women but officials said the initiative received lukewarm response.
