ISLAMABAD: Absence of sufficient reserved seats in public transport vehicles is creating serious problems for women commuters who wait for hours at bus stops to reach their destination, especially during the days of compress natural gas (CNG) load shedding.
A majority of the working women in the twin cities use public transport to reach their offices as they cannot afford a cab on a daily basis.
However, according to public transport regulations, only two seats are reserved for women in public vans, which leaves them with no option but to wait for hours at bus stops to catch a bus.
Talking to APP, Shahida Sukhera, an advocate, said that two front seats had been reserved in public vans, which was inadequate for a large number of women who travel daily, but the authorities concerned were not paying any heed to their grievances.
“A large number of women are rendering services in almost every walk of life but unfortunately the number of reserved seats was not revised.”
Seemab Akhtar, an employee at a cellular company, said that women travelling by local transport had to face a number of problems, including derogatory remarks of conductor and other people.
Another commuter, Sofia, said, “Women feel insecure and uncomfortable sitting with men, and therefore they usually pay double the fare for sitting alone in the front seat.”
Nadia Malik, a government employee, said that women in overloaded public vans were particularly vulnerable to eve-teasing.
She said that separate buses should be plied for women in areas where a majority of women employees travelled daily.
