The Shakti Scheme that allows women to travel freely in State transport buses, might have received an overwhelming response, but it has impacted the behaviour of the conductors and drivers particularly towards women.
Women who frequently commute by buses feel that the approach of conductors and drivers towards women has undergone a drastic change after the introduction of the scheme.
Minakshi Amma, 67, a resident of Hubballi, says this rude behaviour becomes a ‘new normal’ when the buses are overcrowded. They are told to remain at home because they are aged. “We come out because of sheer necessity as there is no one to take care of us at home. We are forced to travel by bus as we can’t afford other modes of transport.”
