In September, Rabiya HM found herself dialling the railway police helpline, 139, during her 60-kilometre daily commute on Chennai's Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). "At Park Station, a stranger was keeping an eye on me, and when I boarded the ladies' compartment, he followed me onto the next compartment, kept staring, and got off at every station," says the 28-year-old IT employee. Her calls did not go through until Taramani and the mandated police personnel were absent for over an hour. Eventually, Rabiya’s co-passengers intervened and forced the man to deboard. Rabiya’s experience is an everyday reality rather than the…

Amudhini regularly boards the 29C or A1 from Abhiramapuram to Chetpet. On a scorching day, without any roofing, the bus shelter seats radiate heat, and they are “uninviting and uncomfortable to sit on for a prolonged period of time,” says the public relations professional. On her route, she passes Mylapore Tank and KMC Hospital and notes: “Bus stops differ from one to the other. I have seen well-maintained bus stops with decent seating, but many others are poorly maintained. Across these stops, none have ramps or uniform display boards. For a lot of elderly working-class people, buses are the only…