Blue Bus Service For Women's Safety

 

It was 2022, and I was on a trip to Guwahati, Assam, India. We were guided by a renowned writer and linguist from there as we roamed around the city. At one point, we needed to take a bus. So, we were at a bus stop. There were many buses coming and going but our guide did not tell us to get into any of them. It seemed like he was waiting for some special kind of bus. Then, eventually, one bus came and he told us with a broad smile, 'Let's get into it.' He revealed a truth related to that particular bus, 'This is especially for women and it is free for them. If it is not crowded, men can also use it but they need to pay the bus fare. One more thing, a man can only sit if no woman is standing. If a woman gets into the bus and all seats are occupied, the man immediately needs to offer the seat to the woman.'

Hearing him, I was quite surprised. I looked around to find all the women sitting comfortably. A few men were lucky enough to sit and all others were standing. At that time, a fleeting thought came into my mind, 'It would be nice if women from our country also got to enjoy such a facility.' I still remember - throughout that bus ride, I felt so special and honoured. After four years of my free women-only bus ride experience in Gauhati, the  government of Nepal is also about to launch the 'Blue Bus' service in Kathmandu from the first of Shrawan. This service will be free for women. Initially, there will be eight such buses running on the roads of Kathmandu valley but the government has planned to spread the Blue Bus service gradually throughout the country.

Positive comments 

As soon as the news about the Blue Bus service was published, people started commenting on this; there are both positive and negative comments. Most of the people have heartily welcomed the initiative but others seem to be very critical. The negative comments are ridiculous and unconvincing. For example, some people blame the government for trying to encourage gender discrimination further; they pose a question, 'Why do we need such a service only for women?' According to them, men and women must travel together to maintain gender equality but have we experienced such a thing so far? What is more shocking is that the critics are not only men but women as well. Don't they see how women and girls are being harassed almost every time they use public transportation? Those women who are venting negative comments must also have gone through the public transportation harassment (if they used any) at one or other point of their life. How come they forget their humiliation then?

Others are complaining, 'What to do if husband and wife are travelling together? Do they need to take different buses?' Why would they? They can travel in the same bus but it will be free for the wife and the husband must pay, easy. Another group of complainers are raising their concerns on the colour of the bus itself. They do not seem to like the colour 'blue' as they relate this colour to the ruling party. They claim the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is just advertising its supremacy via the Blue Bus service. For their kind information, Sajha Yatayat has already clarified that the free Blue Bus service for women will not be painted blue; instead, vehicles will be identified through stickers. Some even say that such a free bus service is not available anywhere in the world. Why go far away? Our neighbouring country India, is providing the free bus service for women in several states and I myself have experienced this in Assam.

I wonder if these criticisms are valid. It is clear that the government has a pure intention behind operating the Blue Bus service. Its major goal is to offer safe, dignified, comfortable and free public transportation, especially for women commuters. The target groups to utilise this service will obviously be girl students and working women. Doubtlessly, their life is going to be much easier since they do not need to face any sort of harassment during their travel - what a huge relief for them! Free ride will be a bonus.

Continuity

I think the concept of Blue Bus service is a continuity of what the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) had started once in Chitawan in 2023. When I learned about this, I was also amused at the time. So, I could not stop myself from writing an article entitled 'Blue Fever,' which was published in a local daily Purba Sandesh. In that article, I had mentioned how my house help lady wished the same free bus service had been available in our hometown, Damak, as well, so that she could go to the city area to find a couple of houses to work and earn more money to support her family.

A senior journalist, Babita Basnet, has also expressed a similar view in relation to the Blue Bus service in Kathmandu. She has stated that this service will be highly beneficial for working-class women who have to travel to different places to provide domestic help. These women can save their travel expenses, which can bring happiness to their life. In conclusion, I can say that the launching of the Blue Bus service is a small gesture to show respect towards women. Different groups of women and girls are certainly going to benefit from this service. Simply introducing some free buses only to women does not increase gender discrimination; in contrast, it assures their safety and comfort.     

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, July 10, 2026 ) 

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