BENGALURU: While the state government’s Shakti scheme offering free travel to women in government buses, has received an overwhelming response, Bengaluru-based collective for women’s welfare - Alli Serona (Let’s meet there), has suggested additional feeder bus routes to help women reap the full benefit of the Shakti scheme.
In the absence of feeder buses on the suggested routes, women who are working as domestic workers, pushcart vendors, tailors, small-time caterers, small cloth or fancy stores, and petty shops, have to end up depending on private transport like autos, share autos and two-wheelers. Some even have to walk for more than 3 kms to reach bus stops on the main road.
‘Alli Serona’, a collective of women from the informal workforce, civil society organisations and artists in Bengaluru, have submitted a letter to the BMTC, requesting additional feeder buses in - ‘Kadugodi -Channasandra’, ‘Byanppanhalli- Banaswadi’, ‘KR Puram- Medehalli’ and ‘Byrasandra- Wilson Garden’ routes.
“These are the routes where the ‘Alli Serona’ community members stay and felt the need to address it immediately. This is a need that has emerged out of the everyday experiences of women. Based on how far the women have to walk regularly, and after assessment of the routes, the collective, with support from Bengawalk, has come up with these routes. The feeder loop would serve as many communities within this larger area as possible,” Manjula N - Senior Community coordinator of NGO Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA), working in CV Raman Nagar said, and added that nearly 10,000 families reside in these areas.
Asked how much the women are spending in the absence of BMTC buses, Iswaragoud S Patil - Senior Community Coordinator, APSA KR Puram said, “One woman in Byrasandra area shared that she spends about Rs 200 per day to reach KR Market in an auto. Another woman from Vijaynagar spends around RS. 400 to and from the ration shop and the cost of transportation is more than her ration cost.”
“There used to be buses in some of the above areas pre-COVID but were discontinued. In some areas (eg: Priyankanagar), there is one bus that comes twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. However, since the schedule is not available, it does not serve the community well, forcing most people to rely on private vehicles or walking long distances,” Manjula said.