A group of men verbally abused women travelling in a government bus at Tamil Nadu’s Chennai and chided them for travelling on a ‘free ticket’ and forced a few of them to vacate their seats. The state government had introduced a free bus travel scheme for women in March 2021. The incident took place on Monday, February 10, on an MTC bus (Route 26) traveling from Iyyappanthangal to Broadway, following which the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has lodged a police complaint.
According to reports, over five men boarded the pink bus near Avichi School bus stop in Vadapalani. A viral video of the incident shows them occupying seats in the reserved section. When a woman commuter requested them to vacate seats for an elderly woman, they refused. One man reportedly argued that since women travel for free while men pay for tickets, they had a greater right to the seats. The situation escalated into a heated exchange, with the woman questioning the men and other passengers stepping in to support her.
Following the incident, MTC launched an internal inquiry and filed a police complaint against the group. Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and viral videos circulating on social media to identify the individuals involved.
MTC introduced pink buses as part of a scheme aimed at enhancing accessibility and safety for women commuters. These buses allow women to travel for free on ordinary city and town routes, with the pink color distinguishing them from other bus services.