More than half of women in Hyderabad have faced harassment while using public transport, a new study by the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Hyderabad, has revealed. Published in the Transportation Research Record, the study highlights the urgent need for gender-sensitive urban transport policies to improve women’s safety and security.
According to the findings, the most common forms of physical harassment were touching (58.8%) and groping (53.2%). Buses were identified as the most frequent sites of such incidents, often occurring in overcrowded conditions where offenders act with impunity.
The survey, conducted among 583 respondents, found that the presence of CCTV cameras and adequate lighting significantly improved women’s sense of safety. Other influential factors included police visibility, travelling in groups, and family attitudes toward public transport.
Researchers recommended enhancing surveillance, improving infrastructure, reducing overcrowding, and running public awareness campaigns to counter victim-blaming. They also suggested expanding women-only or “pink” transport options to promote safer mobility.
“This is one of the first studies to assess women commuters’ safety perceptions in Indian public transport,” said researcher Bandhan Bandhu Majumdar, noting its relevance for other developing nations.
