Zubair Qureshi
Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has notified 10 routes for the ‘Pink Bus Service’ – a fleet of 20 buses to facilitate female students, teachers and other women commuting from the rural to the urban areas.
The service commenced on Wednesday bringing much-needed relief for the female students, teachers and other employees as it was a daily ordeal for them to reach their destination of work/education by changing numerous vehicles.
Often in doing so, sometime they had to bear discrimination by the drivers and conductors of public transport who are usually more interested in getting customers than completing their routes.
Now they can avail themselves of a respectable, affordable and hassle-free medium of transport without being subjected to discrimination or harassment.
Nazia, a female commuter who daily travels from Bhara Kahu to Pak Secretariat where she is a grade-14 employee said pink buses are God-sent help for hundreds of female commuters like her as they faced many priblems and she was on the verge of quitting her job.
The timing of these buses suits us the office workers as the buses will start at 6am and stop at 9 a.m. in the morning and then again they resume at 1:30 p.m. up to 4 p.m. in the afternoon.
This is in fact Manna from the heaven for us the women from humble background as neither we could afford our own transport nor could we quit our work, said Farhat a lady teacher who takes the bus daily from Chattah Bakhtawar and reaches a government school in F-6 sector.
It will be unfair here not to mention the vision, dedication and sincerity of the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training under the leadership of Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani who both sensing the pulse of the problem of the problems being faced by the rural women and students launched the pink bus initiative.
Earlier these buses were ordinary yellow colour buses used for pick and drop of school and college students. Most of them however were dysfunctional due to some mechanical fault or lack of care. The FDE changed the colour of school and college buses from yellow to pink as part of this initiative. The ministry stated that the aim is to “bridge the gap” between urban and rural areas as an effort to promote education in the latter.
The ministry decided on 10 routes for all female teachers, girls students and other travellers,” said an official, adding that if it was necessary, civic agencies of the city should have been approached for it.
Previously, this issue was also highlighted in the parliament when four lawmakers form the ruling PML-N moved a calling attention notice over the issue. “A matter of urgent public importance regarding stoppage of almost 20 school buses meant for pick and drop of students and conversion of these buses in the Pink Bus Project”, the notice stated.
For these buses, drivers and conductors have already been hired through a third-party service to address the human resource deficiency.
