Task Force for Safety of Women in Public Transport

With the vision to make Delhi's public transport system the safest among global cities, DDC Delhi constituted a Task Force for Safety of Women in Public Transport in 2019 to work towards strengthening women's safety and improving women's experience of public transport in Delhi.

The Task Force monitored the implementation of all initiatives being undertaken by all public transport agencies in Delhi related to women’s safety. It carried out field studies and stakeholder interviews and recommended wide-ranging changes in the Bus marshall scheme. All these changes were accepted by DTC and Transport Department, paving the way for a universal and effective bus marshall programme to be rolled out in late 2019.

The Government of NCT of Delhi has also been undertaking various other initiatives from time to time to improve the safety of women in public transport in the national capital. This includes gender sensitisation training of drivers of all public service vehicles, the introduction of bus marshals, GPS devices in all public service vehicles, the introduction of CCTV and panic buttons in buses etc. 

Features of the Initiative

The Task Force for Safety of Women in Public Transport worked towards strengthening women’s safety and improving women’s experience of public transport in Delhi.

The Task Force advised and monitored the implementation of all initiatives by the Transport Department, GNCTD, and all other public transport agencies in Delhi related to women’s safety such as

• Bus Marshals Program: Assessing the effectiveness of the bus marshals programme and improving it.
• Complaints Redressal System: Working with the Transport Department and the Police to create a system to report incidents of harassment within buses, bus stops and terminals and complaints redressal
• Standard Operating Procedures: Creating and adopting standard operating procedures for bus drivers, conductors, bus marshals and depot managers in preventing and addressing incidents of sexual harassment in public transport.
• Creating and adopting SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for auto-rickshaw, e-rickshaw, Gramin Sewa, Rural Transport Vehicles (RTV) drivers etc.
• Gender Sensitisation Training: Evaluating and creating gender sensitization training modules, creating the terms of reference for appointing suitable agencies to conduct these.
• Route Rationalisation, Bus Terminals and ISBTs: Creating safer public transport multi-modal hubs (ISBTs and bus terminals) and ensuring that route rationalization proposals incorporate women and girls’ travel.
• Undertake research studies and assessments to better understand the concerns of women regarding the safety of public transport and measures to improve the same.
• Ensuring that all activities to improve public transport mainstream women’s concerns and needs.

Composition of the Task Force