New Delhi: Delhi Transport Corporation’s panic button alerts will be integrated with Delhi Police’s 112 PCR emergency response system to enable faster intervention in distress situations on public buses.Lieutenant governor TS Sandhu has directed the transport department and Delhi Police to complete the process as soon as possible to enhance the safety of passengers, especially women. In a meeting with top transport and police officials Wednesday, LG reviewed the directions issued in May regarding women’s security on DTC buses.LG was informed that the preliminary exercise of identifying vulnerable routes with high women ridership was undertaken by DTC, and Delhi Police has been requested to deploy women cops on the ladies special buses on these routes, especially during morning and evening hours. The police commissioner said that while Delhi Police would provide the necessary women workforce, women home guard marshals could additionally be deployed to assist the police personnel.The women cops will play an important role in ensuring robust onboard security and preventing unruly elements from boarding ladies buses and also from harassing women while they board or deboard buses, an official said.According to official data, women made over 56.2 crore trips on govt-run buses in 2025-26 (till Feb). The DTC buses are free for women. Delhi’s public bus fleet stands at around 6,100, carrying an average of 24.3 lakh passengers daily. To bolster safety, 2,983 bus marshals, drawn from home guards, have already been deployed.Integrating the panic button alerts with police’s emergency response system “will enable seamless coordination between the transit network and law enforcement, ensuring a faster, more effective and foolproof emergency response mechanism for women passengers in distress,” said an official.Panic buttons installed on DTC buses can be pressed by passengers in distress, particularly in cases involving harassment, assault, medical emergencies or other security threats. Most of the DTC buses have been fitted with them along with CCTV cameras.Until now, the system has largely functioned through backend monitoring and control-room mechanisms. In 2023, an audit found that panic button alerts were not reaching police’s 112 emergency system due to the absence of integration between the two platforms.LG also reviewed plans to establish women police stations dedicated to complaints and crimes involving women and children. Police officers informed him that the first such police station was ready to be operationalised soon.
