Public Transports Hazardous For Women Commuters

During my student days, I worked but used to travel to my office by rickshaw. To me, back then, commuting through Dhaka city was nothing troublesome. However, after my graduation, I took a full time job at a magazine and had to travel from Shamoly to Khilkhet on a daily basis.

Given Dhaka’s scenario, buses are only viable pubic transports to commute around the city. But do you know the real face of the bus services in Dhaka? How do women find these transportations?

As a young man, my regular trips have opened an entirely different scenario of our public transportation, which is, extremely male-chauvinistic and discriminatory in nature. Another thing has become evident to me, that is, in gross words, Dhaka city buses are something meant for men only. There are nine specific seats allotted for women in every bus, I do think this is a discriminatory gesture, because, sanctioning a special quota means women are lesser than their counterparts. Moreover, those seats are usually the ones beside the engine, which is the most unpleasant place in the bus. The other day, a survey showed that due to travelling beside engine for a prolonged period of time, one might catch different physical problems. In this case, women will be the major victims.