New Delhi : If you are travelling late at night in Bengaluru, the police want to make sure you reach home safely — especially if you are a woman passenger. The Bengaluru City Police have launched a dedicated safety initiative for all passengers, especially women – Safety Mode – on their KSP app.
With more than 12,000 cabs operating across the city, and hundreds shuttling between Kempegowda International Airport and Bengaluru through the night, passenger safety has become a rising concern. Complaints of cab drivers taking unlit routes, refusing to travel through main roads, arguing with passengers, and even demanding extra money at the end of trips have triggered a series of tense encounters, particularly for women travelling alone.
My ordeal began on October 7. I had taken a flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru and by the time I landed in Bengaluru after a late-night flight, it was 12.30 am. The taxi counters saw long lines, with tired passengers being told they would have to wait at least 45 minutes for an Ola or Uber as many of taxi drivers were refusing to come to the counter at a particular price.
I had my young child with me. All I wanted was to get home safely — and soon.
Having waited in the long queue for a while, with a weary, sleep deprived child holding on to me, I decide to book a taxi through another ride-hailing app which I have used several times earlier for transportation across the city.
The driver called asking me to meet him at a different pickup point meant for private vehicles. It was still within the safe confines of the airport, and we headed to the taxi pick-up point, all I could think of was getting home.
