Bengaluru: A nationwide online campaign started by a Bengaluru woman and supported by over 1.4 lakh people across the country has convinced online bus ticketing agency redBus to commit to enhancing its safety measures for women during bus travel.
The company, in a blog published on its website, has announced that based on an appeal made by Bengaluru-based Rashmi Bachani through the technology platform Change.org, they were “attempting to put together a comprehensive system for resolution of problems associated with safety of women travellers”.
Bachani started a petition on Change.org two months ago, after she was molested at a Bengaluru bus station onboard a bus she booked through redBus.
Deeply disturbed after the incident, her petition to redBus listed a detailed set of safety measures that she felt was imperative, such as drivers’ background verification and the steps to be taken for ensuring women’s safety before, during and after travel.
Her petition drew widespread response and over 1.4 lakh people throughout the country supported her in this appeal.
Taking note of this petition, redBus responded with a commitment to improve women’s safety measures.
“We applaud Rashmi for courageously bringing the issue of women safety to the forefront. redBus fully supports this cause. While we do not not own or operate buses, we have undertaken several measures within our control to help improve passenger safety, especially for women travellers,” redBus’s CEO Prakash Sangam wrote.
Change.org, a platform “for social change”, allows people to start and support campaigns on issues that concern them.
