A girl sleeping alone on a single berth equals easy prey, and the driver felt I was up for “grabs”, so to speak.
A woman from Bengaluru was allegedly sexually harassed in a bus that she had booked via the app redBus. Shocked and pained by ‘no response’ to her suggestions to make private buses safe for women, she started an online petition, which has seen more than 42,000 supporters on change.org.
On February 18, the woman was returning from Goa. Speaking to TOI she says:
I was asleep on the last berth of the bus, and wasn’t aware it had reached the last stop, Majestic. The driver, in an attempt to wake me up, squeezed my chest, and I woke up with a jolt, unaware of what had just happened. He then said it is the last stop, as though nothing had just happened.In my confused state of shock and sleep, I just picked up my bags and walked off.Petitioner
She decided to start the petition after a long wait and ‘no response’ from either redBus or Ibibo.
I wrecked my mind over what would make me feel safer travelling by bus again, reached out to redBus with my suggestions, since they are the most preferred bus booking website, however the best I got was a response saying, ‘Thank you for your suggestions, we will attempt to implement the same’. This was a couple of months ago. Since then, I haven’t seen any of the changes I asked for implemented.Petition on Change.org
The petition demands proper background verification of drivers and other staff from private bus owners and aggregators, also posting their details on the website.
According to TOI redBus has responded saying,
We are reaching out to many of the bus operators listed on redBus, who are critical stakeholders, with this petition to solicit their views on how to make bus travel safer and as hassle-free as possible, particularly for women, and we would be happy to share their feedback too.
Meanwhile, the petitioner questions the response saying if simple steps can ensure safety and avoid such cases why let the passengers suffer. She writes:
If the railways can adopt instant complaint resolutions through Twitter / SMS - why can’t a tech-focussed startup do the same?
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