“My husband has a motorcycle. But when I have things I need to do or errands to run, I take public transport,” says Rekha Thapa, 36. Thapa prefers not to ride in buses. “Micros are a lot faster, and they don’t cram too many people into tempos,” she says and adds, “It’s difficult for all women to travel by bus.”
Her reasoning is simple. “It’s overcrowded and most women have children or are carrying things, so it’s inconvenient.” That being said, Thapa does say that she has seen few people give up their seats on a crowded bus for womsen with children on their hips.
The issue of seating specifically for women has been covered in legal terms by Article 107 of the Transport and Management Act, 1993, which states seats have been set apart for handicapped individuals as well as women. Although the regulation has been in effect for close to 20 years, there is little to no follow-up.
“We’ve made it mandatory for all public vehicles to have signs stating seats have been set apart for women and those who are handicapped,” says Basudev Regmi, Sections Officer at the Department of Transport.
Even with that being mandatory, not all vehicles have a notice setting seats aside for women and the handicapped. “I’ve told men to give up their seats to women a few times,” says Bikas Gurung who has been driving a micro for two years. The reason he has done this is simple, “About a week ago, my Blue Book was taken and the traffic police told me I had to have a notice painted,” he said. Although there is no official fine for not having designated seats, Gurung still paid Rs 110 to retrieve his blue book.
The police also reminded the khalashi to make a point of executing the regulations as well. “I tell the men to move, but it’s hard. They don’t listen to me,” says Binod KC who at 14 has been collecting fares for the past year. “I try to do what I can, and if there’s someone who’s handicapped, I help them in and try to get them a seat,” he adds.
But having the notice painted inside a bus or micro does not ensure the regulation is carried out. “The traffic police already have enough to do,” Regmi says in response to why the rule is not enforced. He also adds, “The issue is also that there’s no culture of giving up seats. When the culture changes, then people will also change.”
Overseeing traffic for the past five months is MB Yadav (first name in initials to protect privacy) who says, “I try to make sure women get seats,” but besides that and reminding the drivers to enforce the rules, it appears little else can be done. Especially during traffic hours when the transportation runs on a “first come first serve” basis, and without lines or a ticketing system, it is difficult, if not impossible, to see that women are given priority.
“Everyone has to work together,” Yadav said. “It’s not enough for just us and the drivers to make men give up their seats. They should learn to do that on their own. And if men aren’t complying, women should be able to report that to us,” he added. So far, he is unaware of any complaints being made.
There are cities like Mumbai that have women-only transportation. As to whether something like that could be put into effect here, Regmi says, “That’s not feasible. We don’t have enough transport, as it is.”
Thenduk Lama, at 58, has been using the public transportation for years and says, “We should just have same seats for everyone.” The issue not being so much with creating second-class citizens but, “Nepal doesn’t have the facility,” he says. Lama also believes that ladies should be respected and that men should follow the “ladies first” rule of thumb. “But it’s very difficult to change mentality, it would probably take 50 years,” he says.
Another problem for women traveling on public transport is the way men behave. “Since I’m married, it’s not as bad anymore,” claims Thapa but recalls being younger and subject to unnecessary pushing and touching on the part of men, “I’m sure it’s a nightmare for young girls today,” she states.
Many women may have had unfortunate experiences, this is not the case for everyone. “I’ve never had anything serious happen to me,” says Amrita Rai, a 17 year-old nursing student. “If anything, I’m more likely to get a discount because I’m a girl!” she laughs. On the few occasions when men have behaved inappropriately with her, Rai chooses not to speak up, “If I’m alone, who knows what they may do, I just try to get as far away from them as I can, or I try to find a place that’s crowded,” she says.
A young male, Roshan Shahi, who is a student, takes public transportation on occasions. “I guess we should give seats to women and treat them better,” he shyly says. As to how it can be carried out, he suggests, “Maybe have programs and trainings to make people more aware.”
Given the larger implications of misbehavior that borders on sexual harassment, Anil Gurung, the Undersecretary at the Department of Transportation, says there are plans to combat this. “The Ministry of Labor and Transportation will create a code of conduct soon.” He claims the code is currently under process and will hopefully be completed by March of this year.
Though the making of a code of conduct is a positive sign for women, the issue lies with enforcement. “The code will be implemented forcefully,” Gurung says, and mentions that misconduct will be punishable with fines up to Rs 5,000. Gurung was, however, unable to comment on the specifics of what the code will entail but he is optimistic about the attention that it will be given.
But until the code is made public and until the citizens of Nepal abide by it, women in the city will continue to face the hassles of traveling on public transport everyday.
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