The authorities say that the SRTC’s ladies special bus service is running into loss after the educational institutions closed for winter vacation. They admit that there is no loss when the institutions are open and female passengers prefer to travel in such buses.
The ladies special bus service was launched some seven years back for the convenience of women passengers. School, college and university students, working women, besides other females travel in the buses.
Going by the increase in the number of female students in educational institutions and government departments, there was a need to increase the number of such buses particularly in spring, summer and autumn seasons. But this was not done.
The buses kept on plying on some specific routes only and the area of operation of such a service was not extended to other places. There is a need to run more buses and cover more areas so that the women do not face any inconvenience while traveling.
Reports say that the travelling in the overloaded mini buses does cause inconvenience to female passengers. The authorities must seriously think about it. They must also devise a strategy so that such buses operate in such a way that there are no losses.
Proper planning has to be done in this connection and routes must be selected and the buses operated. If there is a need to withdraw some buses during winter after the closure of educational institutions, it should be done.
But the buses must be added back once the schools, colleges and universities reopen after the winter vacation. Strategies have to be changed as per the requirements. Such a bus service should not be put to a halt just because there are losses due to poor planning or selection of routes.
The ladies special bus service is very much needed today also as it was in past or it will be in future. There is a need to further strengthen the service. The officials must identify the routes for such a service so that more female commuters like to travel in the buses.
The women passengers too must try to make the service successful by traveling in these buses. There is also need to introduce such service in towns as well. The female commuters too face the problems there.
The buses must be run first on experimental basis from the educational institutions for the convenience of the female students there.