Rising Fuel Costs Have One Answer: Public Transport. But Did Anyone Ask The Women?

Last Updated:May 20, 2026, 15:51 IST

Public transport is cheaper, greener, and infrastructure is expanding. But spend 5 mins at Rajiv Chowk station talking to women commuters, and a different picture starts to emerge.

Petrol prices are up, and the message from the government is clear — take the metro, take the bus, go electric. It makes sense on paper. Public transport is cheaper, greener, and the infrastructure is expanding. But spend five minutes at Rajiv Chowk station talking to women commuters, and a different picture starts to emerge.

“Women can still manage in metros," one commuter told me, nodding toward the reserved coaches. “But buses? They continue to feel male-dominated. Many women still don’t feel comfortable travelling in them regularly."

She wasn’t alone in that feeling.

Another woman I spoke to brought up something that doesn’t make it into policy discussions very often. “If more and more people opt for metros, the women’s coaches fill up fast. Then women have to stand in general coaches — and that’s where harassment and safety become real concerns again." She added, “There are times when women skip a metro entirely because the women’s coach is already full."

On other modes of transport, she was blunt. “DTC buses are not even a consideration. The harassment is so prevalent that even families are not comfortable with women going to work or college by DTC bus."

The Woman’s Math

Here’s the thing about the economics of public transport — the math looks different depending on who’s doing it.

Many women will pay Rs 150 for an auto at 9pm for a door-to-door ride rather than Rs 30 for the metro — not because they prefer it, but because there is no guarantee of safe connectivity from the metro station to their home after dark. The metro saves money. The street outside takes it back.

And for some, even the metro isn’t the end of the cost. Sanya Gupta, a frequent metro commuter who works in Gurgaon, says her family still has to burn fuel to pick her up from the INA station after 8pm every day. The very fuel cost that public transport was supposed to eliminate — still being spent, every evening, because the ride home doesn’t feel safe enough to manage alone.

And this isn’t just a story about women with office jobs. Chanda Rani, who works as house help in South Delhi, doesn’t let her daughter take the DTC bus at all. “It’s so unsafe. She pays the extra fare for metro instead." A woman stretching every rupee — still choosing to spend more, because the cheaper option doesn’t feel safe.

This cuts across income levels. The urban professional and the daily wage worker are making the same calculation — just with different amounts in their wallets.

India has made its bet on public transport. The infrastructure is growing, the fares are subsidized, the intent is there. But reserved coaches fill up. Buses remain unsafe. And after dark, the journey from metro station to front door is still a problem women are solving on their own — with their own money, their family’s time, or both.

The government is counting rupees saved on fuel. Nobody is counting what women are still spending to feel safe.

News india Rising Fuel Costs Have One Answer: Public Transport. But Did Anyone Ask The Women?

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