Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), the chief architect of the Kochi Public Transport Day, conducted a survey in association with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), Chennai, as part of the campaign, to understand the gaps in public transport in Kochi city. A part of the results published in March 2018 revealed the differences in travel patterns between men and women in relation to main modes of transport, first and last mile connectivity, and different factors of travel behaviour. While 60 per cent of women surveyed took buses for work, shopping, leisure etc, only about 32 per cent of men used buses to meet their travel needs, emphasising how women depended on public transport more than men did. The survey also highlighted safety as the decisive factor that influenced women’s choice of mode of transport. Nearly 73 per cent of women surveyed reported safety as a major concern while choosing the mode of transport, whereas only 57.7 per cent of men reported safety as a concern.
The survey results served as a backdrop for the panel discussion on the topic ‘Going Places: Safety, Comfort and Convenience of Women in Public Transport’ on the third Kochi Public Transport Day held at the open square before Lalan Tower, High Court Junction, on March 28, 2018. The discussion intended for bringing to light the challenges confronting women in public transport and public spaces through the eyes of women. It was to serve as a platform for presenting concrete steps to transforming public transport from being gender blind to gender inclusive.
Women personalities from diverse fields – Monolita Chatterjee (architect/urban planner), Ajina Mohan (Kudumbashree District Mission representative), Aswathy Dilip (urban designer/senior programme manager, ITDP) and Namrata Khona (corporate trainer/consultant) – were part of the panel. Sara John (Senior Project Associate, Centre for Public Policy Research) moderated the discussion.
Ms John introduced the theme emphasising how urban transport investments and policies were largely gender blind with a limited understanding of the interrelationships between gender and transport. She opened the discussion probing the panellists’ views on the relevance of ensuring why public transport should work for women.
Ms Chatterjee voiced her concern on the dismal workforce participation of women in Kerala. “Nearly 65 per cent of Kerala’s graduates are women but their economic engagement amounts to an average of 15 per cent, while the national average is 20 per cent,” she said. Accessibility could be one of the reasons, because it acts like a barrier for women to engage in public life equally as men do. “Have we made our country accessible to 50 per cent of its women?’ she asked.
Ms Khona stated that though we aspired to see the quality and standards set by the public transport system of Europe or Dubai in Kochi, we hesitated to take the right course. She stated safety, convenience and frequency as the main parameters for women using public transport.
“Though the gender ratio of Kerala is skewed towards women, and 90 per cent of women here are educated, work translation is only 20 per cent for women in urban areas. The travel patterns of men and women are different, with women using public transport or walking more than men do,” said Ms Dilip.
Reflecting on 20 years of service rendered by Kudumbashree, the women empowerment and poverty eradication programme of the state government, Ms Mohan proudly stated how it was hard to find a single area of work Kudumbashree’s efforts have not penetrated. Noting how Kudumbashree empowered women from marginalised sections of the society, she highlighted the importance of extending or launching public transport services to ensure connectivity to remote or inaccessible areas.
Safety of women in public transport
Ms John noted the key point from a survey conducted by ActionAid, UK, that 84 per cent of women who faced harassment in public transport in India belong to the age group of 25–35 years. The survey that polled over 500 women in cities across India reported that nearly four out of five women faced public harassment. Ms John also referred to the survey results of CPPR, and requested the panellists to explore if gender segregation in public transport or dedicated transport services for women would address the issue of women’s safety in public transport.
Ms Chatterjee, recollecting her own experiences, noted that public transport could be a lonely place for women at night. “I do not see a solution in segregation of women in public transport. There have been instances of violence in women’s compartment in trains. The focus should be ensuring regular and accessible services rather than special services,” she added.
Ms Dilip also disagreed with the idea of gender segregation or special services, stating that while the intention was right, it was not a pragmatic measure. She invoked the example of the failure of the She taxi scheme in Kerala to substantiate her point.
The panel arrived at the conclusion that though gender segregation or dedicated services have been one of the most publicised solutions to women’s safety concerns in public transport in India, there is no evidence to suggest that it has addressed the problem. The panel emphasised the need for assimilating women into the mainstream rather than single them out as a disadvantaged group.
On the role of technology in ensuring safe and convenient public transport for women, Ms Mohan panned the lack of accessible and credible information about public transport services. She was positive on the role technology could play in helping bridge the gap in public transport communication systems.
While Ms Dilip was sceptical of the practicality of technology in providing safe public transport in rural areas, Ms Chatterjee viewed technology as “a good thing” if put to right use. She added that safety could not be delivered through safety apps butGeographic Information System (GIS) and data could change the ground reality.
The panel approved of the installation of CCTV cameras, live Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and creation of safety apps as effective technological interventions that could help the cause of women’s safety in public transport and public spaces.
Relationship between women’s workforce participation and accessibility to public transport
As a lead up to the discussion on the relationship between women’s workforce participation and accessibility to public transport, Ms John highlighted the worrisome statistics concerning gender gap in India’s working population. The workforce participation rate is 75 per cent for men and 23 per cent for women in the country. In Kerala, women’s workforce participation rate is only 15 per cent. Gender gap in employment hinders India from realising its full potential, as a Mckinsey Global Institute report attests that India’s economic output could be as high as 60 per cent by 2025, if women participate on a par with men in the workforce. The panel tried to explore to what extent factors like distance and accessibility to public transport prevented women from working.
Ms Khona asserted that the relative participation of women workers declined sharply with distance to place of work. Women consider a number of factors, including access to modes of transport and the money required to travel by the preferred mode of transport, while venturing out. If these factors are not favourable to a woman, they could hinder her participation in the workforce.
The panellists unanimously agreed upon inaccessibility playing a negative role in women’s economic participation. Ms Dilip stressed on the need for adequate bus services operating at 100 per cent capacity during peak hours, and increased frequency of buses during off-peak hours, as women prefer to venture out during this time. She added that systems like small or mini buses could be introduced for off-peak hours.
Addressing gender-specific needs in planning and design of public transport policies
The moderator probed the panel on the type of policy and institutional changes that could provide more opportunities for women’s employment and empowerment.
Ms Chatterjee applauded the women working in the Kochi Metro as wonderful examples of affirmative action by institutions. Because of the conventional system that is in place, women are considered time poor and end up spending less time at work. This leads to less economic opportunities and development avenues for women, she lamented.
Kudumbashree has set a shining example, deploying women in challenging sectors like public transport, said Ms Mohan. The Kudumbashree Facility Management Centre provides employment for more than 900 women in services like ticketing, housekeeping, customer care and parking management through the Kochi Metro and Vyttila Mobility Hub. Women workers of Kudumbashree work nightshifts, overcoming social odds, she said.
The panellists concurred on the need for framing public transport policies, considering the specific needs of women from an integrated perspective. Since women combine work and household responsibilities, they make more complex trips than men make. Due to poor transport planning, women often do not have equal access to public transport, which limits their accessibility to education, employment opportunities and healthcare.
Incorporating gender-inclusive designs for public transport and public spaces
While speaking on the correlation between gender and civic infrastructure, Ms Chatterjee noted how by ignoring the pavements and sidewalks, we were ignoring the disadvantaged people. Ms John pointed out that the CPPR survey results revealed 53.2 per cent and 49.7 per cent women preferred walking for first and last mile connectivity, whereas, only 20–25 per cent men preferred to walk the last and first mile of their journey.
Ms Chatterjee also noted that smart urban planning should start with the three basics – good pavements, proper lighting and levelling.
The panel suggested concrete steps like consistent lighting for streets and footpaths, sheltered and well-lit bus stations, real-time information on bus schedule, and functional helpline numbers to address concerns of women on the move. It also pointed up the need to include women in planning and design of policies at the local governance level. This will not only create equitable, democratic and inclusive public spaces for women but also ensure gender-inclusive development in all spheres of life.
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