To make travel safer and easier for women, the Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) has launched a women’s special bus service on two busy routes in the city as a pilot project this International Women’s Day.
The day also saw the Artemis Health Sciences Foundation and Pinkishe Foundation partnering to launch a week-long menstrual health awareness drive. The first session was held at Government Middle School, Fazilpur, Jharsa, where schoolgirls were educated on menstrual health, hygiene, and common myths about menstruation.
Both initiatives have been welcomed by residents
The women’s special bus service will operate on two routes —Gurugram bus stand to Dundaheda and Millennium City Centre to Gurugram railway station.
Both these routes have a large number of women passengers, including students and working professionals. These special buses come equipped with CCTV cameras at the front and the rear, ensuring extra safety of passengers, said GMCBL. To create a more comfortable environment, the buses will have women conductors on board, GMCBL said.
Explaining why these two routes were chosen, Rajeev Nagpal, manager at GMCBL said, “We studied the number of passengers on different routes and found that these two have the most women passengers. By starting dedicated buses, we are ensuring that women have a safe and reliable way to travel daily.”
Additionally the GMCBL has also announced plans to expand the service, with 100 more such buses on different routes, once the pilot proves a success.
“Public transport should be safe for everyone, especially women. This is just the beginning, and we will soon introduce 100 more buses on different routes,” Nagpal said.
Menstrual health drive launched
Shalini Kanwar, president of Artemis Health Sciences Foundation and, CSR chairperson, Artemis Hospitals, said it was important to break the myths surrounding menstrual cycle.
“Talking about menstrual health on Women’s Day is important because it helps break these myths, improves hygiene, and empowers girls with knowledge. When girls understand their health better, they feel more confident and can live healthier lives,” she said.
The campaign, which was initially launched in November 2024 under the name “Her Comfort”, has already impacted over 2,000 girls and women and is set to reach even more in underserved areas of Gurugram.
Dr Sujata Soy, principal lead CSR, Artemis Hospitals, said, ”When girls and women learn about menstrual health, they can make better decisions, feel confident, and not be held back by outdated beliefs. Through this initiative, we are making sure that no girl misses out on education or opportunities due to a lack of awareness or resources.”
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