Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari launches 20 Nirbhaya buses of Rajasthan State Transport Corporation with multiple safety measures to better protect women passengers. Nirbhaya bus security measures include Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), CCTV and panic buttons on every seat. Gadkari said directions in this regard will be given to other states in due course of time, adding that buses in the future should be manufactured with such safety features to contain anti-social elements.

After June 2, the ministry will issue a notification mandating public vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 23 seats to fix closed-circuit television, VTS and panic buttons while vehicles below 23 seats will be asked to install VTS and emergency buttons, the statement added. The 20 Mahila Gaurav Express buses that would run between Delhi and Rajasthan are part of a pilot project. The Rajasthan government plans to eventually bring over 2,300 more buses under the project’s ambit.

To ensure safety of women after the unfortunate Nirbhaya incident, we have decided to make it mandatory for public transport buses to install emergency panic buttons, CCTV cameras and GPS-enabled vehicle tracking devices. The panic button, when pressed, will send a signal to the Depot Chief Manager’s phone at Jaipur Control room with the coordinates of the vehicle and live video feed and also alert the nearest police control room.