BENGALURU: Pinches, pushes and no pee breaks are routine for women bus conductors who shrug off the occupational hazards in order to earn their bread and butter. In a male-dominated space – of the 33,000 bus conductors and drivers working with the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), 1,512 comprise women.
Even as the Karnataka Legal Services Authority (KLSA) has written to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) , requesting that conductors who are expectant mothers, be assigned office work during pregnancy, the women conductors tell us it’s nothing short of a bumpy ride. In the letter to BMTC on April 9, KSLSA member-secretary Hanchate Sanjeevkumar warned that the authority would move the high court if the transport corporation “does not modify the working conditions” in the interest of its pregnant conductors.
While most conductors admit that prior to taking up the job, they were aware of what they were getting into, there have been times they have been caught unawares. “It bothers me when men rub themselves against me when I am selling tickets. With buses being overcrowded most times, we don’t even know the culprit,” said Madhu R, a conductor, who traverses the Majestic-Nandini Layout route daily.
The other issue they have to deal with are the lack of restrooms. For many, this means not drinking water for hours together to save them the trouble of hunting for a loo. Prema Ramappa Nababatti, the only woman driver in the city, who drives between Majestic and Begur said, “It takes about two-and-a-half hours to reach Begur. But there are no restrooms there because of which I avoid drinking water for four hours. Even at main depots, the washrooms are not well-maintained,” rued Nababatti. They also claim that there have been instances where workers have been affected with kidney-related issues owing to avoiding water while on duty.
Additionally, women on their period have to deal with cramps and standing for hours together. “There are times I feel weak and need to sit down. But that’s not possible during peak hours. We feel awkward explaining this to male colleagues. But then again, we look at the larger picture of having to make a living and move on,” explained Lalitha Gowda, a conductor who traverses the Majestic-Koramangala route.