Comfort to affordability: What women commuters, college girls have to say

M PRIYA DHARSHINI

CHENNAI: The reasons for most women passengers to use Chennai Metro Rail are due to its convenience and comfort. Including college girls, many women passengers find the metro rail less chaotic and calm as opposed to other means of transport.

31-year-old Padma residing in Villivakkam said, “I have never travelled in a bus without the assistance of my husband. But, I travel in Chennai Metro on my free will because of safety and easy navigation, thus enabling me to be independent.”

Meanwhile, a 35-year-old Esther travels regularly from Washermenpet to Teynampet on Metro Rail to avoid heavy traffic.

“I travel by metro as the bus takes almost an hour to reach my office. I only began working recently due to availability of trains, otherwise working at a firm would not have become my cup of tea. This is not the case only with me, but with most of the women. Even in my locality, a few women work day shifts and that is because we have a metro to travel,” added Esther, living in Teynampet.

The working women also welcome the phase 2 metro construction in Sholinganallur and urge to speed up construction. “As high number of people work in Sholinganallur, the need for metro rail is crucial at the location. Travel should not be a reason for a working family woman to quit their jobs” pointed out Esther working in an IT firm.

Moreover, women also state that the surveillance at metro stations gives assurance to their life and properties. “In local trains and buses, I have heard cases of accidents and theft. However, such kind of incidents are never heard in metro trains,” said a 35-year-old woman.

Despite a lot talked about the metro being a comfortable option in terms of the air conditioning, aesthetics and convenience, it is true that not all can access the metro due to high cost.

“Though we all travel in the metro, it is also evident that the metro seems to serve people from a particular class considering its affordability. If the price gets a little lower, even people with lower income can access them,” said a 32-year-old Revathi from Medavakkam.

However, when asked about the last mile connectivity, many women requested CMRL to strengthen the feeder service at all 41 stations. Several women passengers stated that they take autos, buses and personal vehicles to reach the station. And in case of adequate feeder service, they can cut down on these expenses.

“I am forced to shell out a higher amount to reach the station than the metro ticket cost. Hence, feeder service should be given paramount importance,” said Nivetha, resident of Ambattur.

Speaking about parking charges, advocate Gayathri from Pallavaram said, “The parking charges at airport metro is Rs 15 per hour and Rs 5 is increased every exceeding hour. Hence, more than my travel charge to the high court, I spend more for parking.”