Women-only buses hit the road in Pakistan’s Mardan district

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday inaugurated a women-only pink bus service in Mardan district aimed at providing safe, reliable and economical transportation for women of the conservative northwestern region.
A total of 14 buses have been procured with financial assistance from the government of Japan and technical support from the United Nations Office for Project Services, an operational arm of the United Nations, and UN Women. UNOPS has also constructed 16 bus stops in Mardan through which the buses will be operated.
“Seven buses will operate in Mardan starting 4th April 2019, through specific bus stops, for exclusive use by women and accompanying children,” UN Women Pakistan said in a statement. “Seven more buses under the project will start operation in Abbottabad later this month.”
Sexual and other types of harassment on buses often deter women, especially in Pakistan’s conservative northwestern regions, to stay home and avoid public transportation, thus giving up on opportunities for education and work.
“An estimated 64% of women in Mardan use private transportation as an alternative,” the UN statement said. “Women who cannot afford private transportation are forced to forfeit opportunities for education and employment.”
Speaking at the launch ceremony for the new bus service, Samita Khawar, UNOPS Pakistan Country Manager UNOPS, thanked the government of Japan for the financial assistance for the project and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for owning it.
“This initiative aims to protect women during travel and reduces the risk of being a potential victim. It will provide safe, secure and comfortable transport to the women of Mardan,” Khawar said.
Since safety was the primary concern for women traveling alone, Khawar said, with the support of UN Women Pakistan, the buses had been equipped with a safety app connected to CCTV cameras installed in the buses. Gender sensitization training modules have also been developed for the staff engaged in operations of the buses. 
“We are excited to see the operationalization of busses and hope that this temporary special measure will increase women’s mobility and also pave the way for behavioral change in society to make existing infrastructure more responsive to women’s needs,” Zainab Khan, Head of Sub-Office UN Women Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said.