Hyderabad: Despite police deployment in ladies coaches, evening occupancy in MMTS remains low as women passengers traveling to suburbs prefer to travel by bus as they are more frequent.
Safety concerns outside some of the secluded stations like Lingampally, Uppugudda, Bolaram, etc. is another reason.
Punctuality of MMTS trains has improved lately but women still feel that taking trains in late evening hours might mean trouble.
“On many days, when I have to return home after 8.30 pm to Lingampally from Begumpet, I prefer to take a bus back. I found travelling by MMTS a bit uncomfortable as almost no women passengers were there in the coach. Moreover, after getting off at Lingampally, the walk outside the station to the main road seemed scary with men staring at the one or two women passing by,” said Deepika Roy, a commuter.
“The problem with MMTS is that once you miss a train from Uppal towards Lingampally, the next one comes only after 45 minutes or an hour. During late hours, it’s better to go for a bus as the frequency is more and it is possible to reach one’s destination in a little over that time,” said Parichipally Lekha, another commuter.
“Women still prefer to travel till 6.30 pm, after that the number drops within half an hour to only two-three,” said a woman TTE on condition of anonymity.
