Evening public transport not women-friendly in Guwahati!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 21: How safe are women, who have to stay outdoor for professiol works in Guwahati, on their way back home in the evening? Among the whole lot of problems they have to confront, transportation and problems arising out of transportation are the major ones.

The substandard public transport system available in Guwahati complicates problems for women. In the metropolitan city, the plying of public buses is very thin after 7-7.30 pm during the winter and after 8 pm during the summer. However, women working in private sector generally go homebound around 7 pm when public transports are very thin. When they get buses or other modes of transportation, it is very difficult to travel for women and senior citizens due to crowds. Girl students who have to go home late after attending coaching classes and private tuition also face similar problems. Reports of evening buses and buses exclusively for women were doing rounds in the city in the recent past. Exclusive buses for women did run for a few days in the city, but they did the vanishing after a few days. The evening buses never hit to roads in the city.

Talking to this reporter a senior citizen said: “Had the plying of buses is made mandatory till 9.30 pm vulnerable commuters like women and senior citizens can get a respite. However, this isn’t happening in the city. When there are a few buses in late hours of the day they opt to double the fare taking the advantage of helplessness on the part of commuters. These are a few problems which those at the helm of affairs should see and take corrective measures at least in some routes like RG Baruah Road, Zoo Road and GS Road in the city. There are other modes of transportation like cabbies and autorickshaws. However, they don’t suit every purse.”