Delhiites worry of using public transport after 9 PM: Survey

New Delhi, Apr 26: More people in the national capital, as compared to Mumbai residents, worry about their safety when it comes to using public transport after 9 PM, stated a survey.

While buses found preference with late night travellers in Mumbai, those in Delhi tend to rely on Metro for such journeys and consider shared autos and all types of taxis least safe, according to 'Crime Victimisation and Safety Perception', a survey report by NGO Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.

Of the surveyed persons, 45 per cent of 3,035 Delhiites worry about their safety while travelling by public transport after 9 PM as against 14 per cent of 3,658 Mumbaikars, it said.

In Delhi, metro was perceived as safer mode of transport with 81 per cent male and 78 per cent women preferring it, while buses were found to be most popular in Mumbai and used by 77 per cent men and 79 per cent women.

Shared autos and all types of taxis are considered to be the least safe in Delhi, the study said.

The study found that 68 per cent people in Delhi felt unsafe even using their own transport after 10 PM, while in Mumbai 22 per cent felt the same.

As far as the perception of the local police was concerned, Mumbai residents (65 per cent) tended to perceive the police positively, while Delhi was more evenly split between positive (42 per cent) and negative (35 per cent) on the same account.

The NGO said it asked all crime-affected households as well as a sample of non crime-affected households about their perception of the police over all.

"More than two-thirds of those in Mumbai answered that they perceive the police in a positive light, though just under half of Delhi respondents did. This may well track the overall safety perception in both cities, which is notably higher in Mumbai than Delhi," the report said.

The survey was conducted in July-August 2015 and asked households to answer the questions based on their experiences in the preceding 12 month period (July 2014 to June 2015).

PTI