Pink buses offer safe ride to women in Bihar

Vidya Kumari, a college student and a resident of Asiana More in Patna, looked excited as she travelled in the recently launched pink government buses for women. Unlike her usual rides to school on auto rickshaw and regular buses, now she feels safer and comfortable.

The pink buses have features such as panic button, GPS tracking and CCTV cameras for the safety of passengers. “This is my first ride on the pink bus and I am really enjoying it. This bus is not crowded like other city buses, and only female passengers are travelling. On numerous occasions, on seeing the crowd in the bus, I have avoided boarding it, instead waiting for one that is not crowded. But I hardly got any. Now that they have started the pink bus services, I have decided to take them for my rides,” said Ms. Kumari, who pursues B.Ed. from R.P.S College in Patna.

Fatima, a Class 12 student at Patna Muslim High School and a resident of Rajabazar, who travelled on the pink bus for the first time, called it a ‘super’ experience.

“Travelling with male passengers is sometimes uncomfortable; many times, I have faced hardships while travelling in other passenger vehicles. I came to know about the pink bus on Instagram and have asked my friends as well to try it out,” Ms. Fatima said.

She also opined that the journey would be more pleasant and comfortable during summer if the buses are air-conditioned.

20 buses across Bihar

On May 16, 2025, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched 20 pink buses in six cities of Bihar to provide a comfortable ride to women passengers. Apart from Patna where eight buses have been launched, four run in Muzaffarpur, and two each in in Gaya, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and Purnia.

Keeping in mind the safety and convenience of women in the State, the pink bus services, running on CNG, are dedicated to women, and the responsibility of operating them has also been given to women, including conductor.

Initiated by Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) Limited, the services offer rides at affordable fares ranging from ₹6 to ₹25 based on the distance covered. The pink bus has 22 seats.

Men can easily make out that these buses are only for women as BSTRC has placed a big board with a message ‘Kewal Mahilao Ke Liye’ (Only for Women).

Every bus is equipped with a mobile charging point under the seat and has a digital display informing passengers of the destination. The range of fares is displayed inside the bus for the convenience of passengers. The buses run between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

In Patna, six buses run between Kargil Chowk and Danapur and two buses between Kargil Chowk and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) covering all important destinations, including government offices, colleges and schools on the Bailey Road.

In Muzaffarpur division, the pink buses run from town to Kesaria and Chakiya in East Champaran district, apart from running in the city. In Gaya, the services run between Gaya Depot and Magadh University and also between Gaya Depot and Central University Tekari. In Purnia, the bus runs between Kasba and Rani Patra from Harda bus stand.

From Darbhanga, two buses are operated to Madhubani, and in Bhagalpur, the services run up to Mayaganj and Sabour Krishi College from Champa Nagar and Jagdishpur respectively.

Pink crew

In these buses, drivers and conductors have a pink dress code. Drivers are men because there are no women in Bihar holding the licence of Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV). However, conductors are women.

Rubi Devi, conductor of the pink bus going towards Danapur, expressed happiness about the job she has got.

“It’s been more than one month as conductor, and passengers travelling in the bus are very friendly. This service has also given me an opportunity to earn a livelihood for my family. This is my job and I have been given training in issuing tickets from the electronic ticketing machine (ETM),” Ms. Devi said.

Anil Shao, driver of one of the pink buses running in Patna, said that he has a big responsibility of dropping women passengers at their destination safely.

When the service was launched, Transport Minister Sheela Kumari had also expressed happiness over the service, thanking the Chief Minister for the initiative.

Atul Kumar Verma, IAS officer and administrator of BSRTC, while speaking to The Hindu, said several other plans are in the pipeline to make the pink bus ride more comfortable and accessible.

Plans in the pipeline

“We are going to start monthly passes for girl students and working women. Apart from existing facilities, we are also planning to provide sanitary pads and contraceptive pills in a kit. The response so far has been very positive and energetic. Apart from (ensuring) women safety, it is also an attempt to empower women,” Mr. Verma said.

Asked about women drivers, Mr. Verma said, “In Bihar there is not a single woman holding the HMV licence. However, in the days to come, we will go for women who have Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) licence and train those who are willing in operating HMVs.”

A team monitors the pink bus services in every division. Mamta Kumar, assistant regional manager (ARM) of Patna division, said, “If anyone presses the panic button, the message comes to me and also goes to the police.”

She has two other officers supporting her in monitoring the bus service – Kumari Birbala as nodal officer and Pallavi Singh as assistant nodal officer.

Push for passes

Explaining the process to obtain the monthly pass, Ms. Kumari said, “To get an online pass, one has to apply through ‘Chalo Mobile App’. In this, working women will have to upload their Aadhaar card and photo, while students will have to upload their college ID card along with their Aadhaar card and photo.”

Online passes will be issued in one day whereas offline passes will be given on the spot, for which an additional ₹20 will have to be paid. Working women will have to pay ₹550 and girl students will have to pay ₹450 for the pass.

Special camps are being organised in all the women’s colleges in Patna to spread awareness on the monthly passes for the pink bus. For this, Patna Women’s College and J.D. Women’s College have been identified. The best part of these buses is that it is not necessary to stop for a ride at the bus stop; whenever any girl or woman raises her hand in the middle of the road, the bus will stop for them.

Under BSRTC, 811 buses of various types, including Volvo AC and Non-AC and sleeper, run across Bihar in different routes.

A DG(Director General)-rank police officer posted in the police headquarters said that multiple cases of eve teasing on the general buses go unreported. Sometimes, the police receive calls on the helpline 112 with regard to rude behaviour by male passengers but the families of the girls concerned seldom show courage to lodge a complaint due to social stigma.

The police officer said that the initiative of the Bihar government will prove boon for female passengers and will allow them to take rides without fear.