Bihar Launches ‘Safe Travel’ Helpline For Women In 6 Districts

The Bihar Police has launched a special initiative called Safe Travel under the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS). The initiative is designed to safeguard women travelling on the road and will be rolled out in six districts – Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, and Nalanda – with plans to expand statewide by September 15. 

Bihar joins Telangana and Haryana as the third state to implement such a system, allowing women to have their journeys monitored by the police, both physically and digitally, ensuring they reach their destinations safely.

Earlier, the ERSS implemented a nationwide initiative designed to provide immediate assistance to citizens in emergencies through a unified, single emergency number: 112. It integrates services like Police, Fire, and Health departments into a single, streamlined response platform, accessible 24/7 across all States and Union Territories (UTs) in India.

How safe travel works:

• Dial 112: Women travellers can dial 112 before their journey, by which police can track the vehicle and maintain contact with them throughout the trip.
• Details of the vehicle are recorded, and women can share their live location with the police. In the event that their phone becomes unreachable, an emergency response vehicle will be dispatched to locate them.
• Local police stations along the route are put on alert, and the police stay in touch with the woman traveller, providing round-the-clock support.

The Safe Travel initiative comes as the state prepares for the upcoming festival season, during which women are more likely to be travelling late at night. “This initiative will boost the confidence of women travellers, especially with the increased travel during festivals,” said Nirmal Kumar Azad, Bihar’s Additional Director General of Police (Technical and Wireless), as per the Economic Times

Citizens can activate emergency responses by:

• Dialling 112.
• Pressing the power button three times on smartphones.
• Long pressing the 5 or 9 key on feature phones.
• Sending an SMS to 112 or using the 112 India app.
• Logging into the ERSS website or emailing the local Emergency Response Centre.