First women-only buses start plying

[Sugarcane]

One of the main reasons I use the bus sometimes is to check out all the hot girls that are on the bus.

Grow up dude, There will be others like you who have this mentality as well and you can't be sure that no member of your family or close relatives travel in those buses. Charity begins at home

 

[Big Boss]

First women-only buses start plying


LAHORE – Though only three in number and, according to the Punjab government, part of a pilot project, the Lahore Transport Company on Thursday introduced “women-only” public transport at three major routes of the City. The Pink Bus Service was started on Routes # B22 (from Thokar Niaz Beg to Jalo), B33 (from Green Town to Railway Station), and at B1 (from RA Bazaar to Sanda). Giving a comfortable look and run by the transport companies, namely “First Bus Service”, “Max Met”, and “Askar Metro,” the buses would, run on CNG fuel, have female ticket collectors.

The PML-N-led provincial government, which in fact has launched its election campaign, claims that more women-only buses would be introduced. PML-N MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister’s Advisor Begum Zakiya Shahnawaz, along with other party members, inaugurated the project at Club Chowk, The Mall. There is a severe shortage of public transport in all the major cities of Punjab including Lahore. About 2,000 buses are required to meet the demand of hundreds of thousands daily commuters in the City, but not more than 250 buses are currently plying at all routes of Lahore. The LTC has also recently injected about 40 Chinese buses at the City’s routes, thanks to the fast approaching general election. At the already plying few buses, the passengers are separated by gender, female in front and male behind. Female passengers having small areas at front portion of a bus are usually not feeling too uncomfortable with the ride. In all the buses, male staffs collect ticket from packed women passengers which creates further nuisance for them. Though, the female staffs are already working at inter-city transport, a newly operated transport company has recently introduced female bus conductors at a intra-city route, but these mini buses are not women specific and plying only at route no 1, the buses are small in numbers.

A female student of Punjab University appreciated the idea of separate bus service for the females. She said that she travelled from Thokar Niaz Beg to PU Campus on daily basis and felt difficulty on travelling buses at the route B22 because only small numbers of buses were plying at the route.

She said that hundreds of female students have to stand at bus stops for hours in waiting of transport. “It might help now, I am delighted,” said the student when she was informed about the female bus service. People from different walks of life appreciated the step of the Punjab government for introducing the service. However, they demanded more buses and urged the government to work on war footing in introducing public transport in all the cities.

Hamza Shahbaz Sharif while inaugurating the buses said that provision of modern and affordable transport facilities to the people was the priority of the government. He said that development of transport sector would provide relief to the people and reduce their problems. In case of the success of the pilot project, Hamza said the service would be started on more routes. He announced that 550 more buses would be introduced on city roads in March which would resolve the transport problem.


First women-only buses start plying | The Nation gives news details



This is great news for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. They should have started this years ago.

why have you added comments like its great news for Islamic republic??????????

Is there mandatory or desired from a Islamic nation???????????

 

[Big Boss]

This is actually a bad deal, waste of money, pml-n another corruption project. Not to forget these and other buses are CNG. CNG shortage and also CNG service is getting poor and dangerous.

Let me tell you people Hino Pak Pakistan can manufacture-develop Buses, the question is why did pml-n ordered these and many more from another country, why not circulate money with-in Pakistan, why not enter a contract-deal Hino Pak can establish another manufacturing plant and develop more buses per year.

Buses

1. CNG is not dangerous at all, how do u come to that conclusion.

2. From which country pakistan is importing these buses??????

 

[Uchiha]

1. CNG is not dangerous at all, how do u come to that conclusion.

2. From which country pakistan is importing these buses??????

Cheap cng cylinders explode
The country's very close. so no transportation problems, it's just that local industry must be encouraged

 

[Tonny]

lmao ..........

 

[Big Boss]

Cheap cng cylinders explode

U mean low quality product?? if yes then its with every low quality product then why call cng dangerous?

The country's very close. so no transportation problems, it's just that local industry must be encouraged

U have skipped the question, is it china????????

 

[Dubious]

All aboard! Pakistan’s first women-only bus

Some see it as welcome respite, but detractors warn it reinforces gender segregation

AFPPublished: 17:56 March 8, 2014

Women university students gather around vans from the newly launched Tabeer Women Transport Service after an introduction ceremony at the Fatima Jinnah University in Rawalpindi. The project has been running for three weeks, with 12 vehicles in the capital

Rawalpindi: At 7.15am on a dusty street corner in Rawalpindi, among the dozen rickety minibuses jostling for passengers, a brand-new, bright pink vehicle stands out.

Emblazoned with the words “Ladies Transport”, this is Pakistan’s first commuter bus solely for women, aimed at those sick of wandering hands and unwanted attention on regular services.

Some see it as a welcome respite, but detractors warn it is reinforcing gender segregation in a highly patriarchal and often misogynistic country.

Sitting on one of the minibus’ four banquette seats, Azra Kamal, who works at an electronics shop, welcomes the new project, named “Tabeer” — “fulfilment of a dream” in Urdu.

Her face half-hidden behind a black veil, she tells of obscene comments and other inappropriate gestures she suffered on mixed transport.

“I have a long journey to work and when I get there it’s often only me left on board. Sometimes the driver will take advantage to give me his phone number and ask for mine,” she said during the 20-odd kilometre ride to her destination in the capital Islamabad.

Others on board described being touched by drivers, conductors and male passengers.

To add to this harassment, the tiny minibuses that ply the roads of the Pakistani capital and its twin city Rawalpindi often have only a few seats, sometimes with only one out of a dozen reserved for women.

“I used to work in a hospital. Often there would be no space on the bus and I would get told off for being late,” said Sana.

Today the 21-year-old proudly wears a pink tunic, the uniform of her job as conductor on the women’s bus, as she collects the 30-rupee (Dh1.06) fare.

But the new service has not impressed everyone in a country where the forces of conservatism are seen to be growing in strength.

In a blog post for one of Pakistan’s leading English-language newspapers, journalist Erum Shaikh called the project a “complete sham”.

“The mere fact that the authorities thought it appropriate to introduce something like this should actually offend women and yet we sit there smile, look pretty and let the big, tough, muscular men build walls around us to ‘protect’ us,” she wrote.

On board the bus, bank worker Misbah agrees.

“I really appreciate the service but we must tackle the root of the problem and make people take harassment seriously,” she said.

But the man behind the project, Ali Naqi Hamdani, says it is empowering women in a society where many are not permitted to leave the house without male accompaniment.

“The women here are willing to go out to work, they’re willing to go out for education purposes but they don’t have such a conducive situation where they can feel secure in public transport,” he said.

“So it was very important that you provide them an environment where they step out of their homes, they feel secure before they reach their universities or their offices so they are encouraged to come out.”

The Tabeer project has been running for three weeks, with 12 vehicles in the capital, and is hoping to expand to other cities if there is enough demand.

Sana is already dreaming of moving on to drive the bus — for a shortage of female drivers means that currently the women-only bus has a man behind the wheel.

All aboard! Pakistan’s first women-only bus | GulfNews.com

I like the idea I have no idea how Erum Shaikh thinks it is a sham?! Maybe she should travel in a mixed bus before saying such stuff?

 

[oFFbEAT]

There should also be transport facilities for men only..........