World Urban Forum

Many research have concluded that men tend to use cars and women public transportation. This can be true, unfortunately, in many cultures “women perform more unpaid work than men because their time is worth less in the Market”. This change their quality of life and that’s why women use public transportation more than men. But sometimes public transportation is much better and more efficient than driving a private car in a congested city. The question is, are happy men and women in general with the mobility system in their cities?

It is true that the women face hardship in mass pranspoation systems. Though there are separate coaches in metro rails and seats earmark for women in city buses, these are not enough. In some cities low floor buses only for women are also being operated. But the situation is changing with improved understanding and self belief among women. In cities like India there is great demand for 4 stoke scooter for women, especially among the young girls (students) and working women, which provided them easy mobility.

I am associated with Women in Cities International and Jagori (a women's resource centre in Delhi) and have been part of several research studies that have looked at the dimensions of women's vulnerability in cities. In the research done in Delhi over the past 5 years, public transport has been located as a space where women face sexual harassment, especially in crowded forms of transport. The Delhi Metro introduced a separate compartment for women over a year ago in response to these concerns. Similarly, a taxi service operated by women in now working in Delhi. In Gurgaon (neighbouring Delhi), there was an attempt to introduce 'pink' auto rickshaws that were meant for women only. Research in Kerala has shown that women face harassment and violence both in buses and in trains that ply between cities.
There is research through safety audits that shows that women often use transportation differently because of their role in society. Thus they often make more trips but shorter ones, for example to the market, to the school bus, in addition to taking transport to work. In a study done in Petrozavodsk, Russia (Gender INclusive Cities Programme), the data showed that womenwere by far the majority of users of public transport.
Thus policy makers need to engage with the issues of gender as a factor in the nature of usage of public transport and with the inherent dangers of sexual harassment in that girls and women face while using public transport or even waiting.

The public transportation system in smaller cities are different than metropolis. Therefore, scooters provide easy mobility for women and girls. With the rise in fuel cost and growing safety concern, pooling/sharing of vehicles for travel becoming more popular in those cities.

Personally, I think that all that you have been talking about separate compartments in the metro, pink rickshaws, buses only for women and others, are all very good ideas since women can feel much secure and will not feel the dangers of sexual harassment and thy will have more confortable trips. But I think and I ask you, isn´t this a way of segregation also? having exclusive buses for women? Why should we segregate them instead of sharing the same transport mean or we are segragating men because we are so "animals" that women can´t travel with us and need a special bus, compartment, rickshaw?

Carlos,
I feel you have misunderstood the suggestions. It is not the question of gender bais but the question of their safety. However, this issue has to be considered as a case to case basis. In some cities women/girls are not secure in odd hours, especially.

Pink or Fem taxis in Medellin, Colombia. Special transportation service for women... What do you think about it?
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/20325-launch-of-new-taxi-service-for-the-ladies-of-medellin.html