The Pink Bus Service, which was launched exclusively for women, has not turned into a thoroughfare since men of all ages have started boarding it too, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Lahore Transport Company under an undocumented deal with Private Bus Operators had allowed them to take the elderly male passengers on the pink buses. However, the bus operators soon decided that it covered all the men, including those of colleges and schools.
Other than senior citizens allowed by LTC, those accompanying a female commuter and middle-aged males were also seemed using the bus service.
The bus service, initiated as a pilot project, included one bus for each B-22, B-33 and B-1 routes and was likely to be expanded to other city routes as well if it proved to be viable. The route B1 stretches from RA Bazaar to Sanda, B33 from the Railway Station to Green Town and B22 from Thokar Niaz Beg to Jallo Morr.
The pilot project was expected to continue for 3 months. However in current scenario it appeared the service may loose its wheels even before the conclusion of the pilot stage.
Female commuters said they had no issues with riding with men, provided that their personal space was not violated. However, “There is no need for these publicity stunts if the government can’t keep them up,” said Hina Saleem, a student, adding “the government should give subsidy to the buses on public routes instead of launching these half-baked projects.”
Rabia Zafar Hayat, a student of Institute of Communication Studies, told Pakistan Today that she commuted through Pink Bus on route 33-B. She said since past many weeks male passengers were also seen on the bus regularly. “Sometimes there were so many male passengers in the bus that the women travellers had to stand,” she said.
Nida Batool, a Forman Christian College Student and blogger who writes on women specific issues, said the government needed to consider all the factors before launching such a scheme.
“A more sensible move would have been the expansion of the women’s section in the public buses,” she said, adding that the idea of reserving a bus completely for women was foolish.
“The chief minister should have known better and he needs to appoint sensible advisors,” she said.
Sources in the LTC disclosed to Pakistan Today that urban transporters, running pink buses, were allowed to take the male passengers as well but only those older than 65 years. An LTC spokesperson said the action would be taken against the violators and it would be assured that the buses remain reserved for the ladies only.
The operators have, however, complained that the response to the pink buses had remained low and this had forced them to allow male passengers to generate enough money to run the buses.
Manager of Makks Metro Bus Service Javed Butter told Pakistan Today that he had directed the female fair collector of the bus to allow the elderly citizens to travel on the pink bus. He said otherwise it was getting hard for them to fulfil even the fuel needs of the bus. “We were making Rs 400 per round while the fuel cost is more than Rs 2,500 so of course we needed to do something,” Butter said, adding that he would run the buses on zero profit provided the government provided the fuel for them.
Another transporter, asking not to be named, said it was hard for the staff to categorise people according to their age and the government needed to come up with a better strategy then just allow males secretly.
Pink no more!
