Passenger safety, especially that of women, came under sharp focus in the Maharashtra Legislature on Friday as Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe directed transport authorities to urgently assess the working condition of panic button systems installed in public and private transport vehicles across the state.

Chairing a high-level review meeting at Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur during the ongoing winter session, Gorhe expressed concern over repeated complaints that emergency buttons in several buses, taxis and app-based cabs were either faulty or completely non-functional. She stressed that the safety mechanism, introduced to ensure immediate help during emergencies, has not delivered the intended results on the ground.

The meeting was attended by State Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, senior transport department officials and representatives of cab operators. Gorhe instructed officials to identify shortcomings without delay and ensure immediate repairs so that passengers can rely on the system during critical situations.

Calling for stricter monitoring, she directed that transport authorities in every district must carry out a minimum of 15 vehicle inspections daily, using live tracking and system data to detect faults and initiate corrective action. She also underlined the need to improve public awareness, noting that many passengers are unaware of how or when to use panic buttons.

To address this, Gorhe suggested displaying clear instructions inside vehicles equipped with the system and running awareness campaigns through pamphlets, advertisements and digital platforms. She also proposed setting up a dedicated WhatsApp number to make it easier for citizens to report safety concerns or malfunctioning devices.

Providing an update, Transport Commissioner Bhimanwar informed the meeting that over 1.4 lakh vehicles in Maharashtra have been fitted with panic buttons so far. However, only around 1.01 lakh of these devices are currently operational, while the remaining vehicles have systems that are either defective or inactive. Vehicle owners with faulty devices are being formally notified to fix the issues, he said.

Bhimanwar also explained that the transport department’s command and control centre in Mumbai has received more than 6.3 lakh alerts through panic button activations. Once an alert is generated, officials contact the vehicle owner immediately, and if there is no response, the case is escalated to the 112 emergency response system.