Jahangir Sofi
Srinagar, Mar 12: Female commuters, specially college going students in Srinagar, have expressed disappointment over the absence of “Ladies Special Bus” service, stating that the specialized service by Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) for female commuters has vanished from the roads.
Several female commuters, especially college students, said that they have rarely seen buses dedicated specifically for female commuters in the city by the Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation.
“Since colleges reopened, I haven’t spotted the ladies’ special bus. Firstly, the route doesn’t even directly connect to my college, I have to change buses multiple times,” said Insha, a student at MA Road College.
She mentioned that in the absence of the ladies’ special bus on Srinagar roads, many students like her are forced to board overcrowded public transport buses to reach their colleges or other educational institutions.
Miss Shaheen, a banker, expressed the inconvenience of standing among males in overloaded buses daily for her commute to the office, stating that having a ladies’ special bus would have been more comfortable.
Several students from Women’s College MA Road Srinagar and other colleges shared that reaching their colleges through public transport was often challenging due to overcrowded buses.
“Ladies’ special bus service should be reinstated to provide commuting relief for females. These buses should have direct access to areas dominated by educational institutions, government or private offices, and workplaces,” suggested a group of women.
According to JKRTC officials, the ‘Ladies Special Bus’ service which has a seat capacity of 32 in each bus, previously the service used to operate from Lal Chowk to four routes. On Soura route the bus would make four singles in a day, two specials to Kashmir University, also with four singles, and to downtown areas passing through Nalla Amir Khan Road, with two singles in a day.
Meanwhile, a senior official from the JKRTC told KNO that post Covid-19 pandemic the regular ladies special bus service was hampered, but that they would resume the services soon.
“We are on it, modalities are being discussed, in next 10-15 days we will resume the Ladies Special Bus Service”, the senior official said.
