Reports and Indices
World Bank’s Report released
- The World Bank’s flagship “Toolkit on Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces in India” was released.
- This toolkit will bridge knowledge gaps between policy making and program implementation for gender-responsive urban mobility and public space in India.
- It details four-pillar implementation framework for urban bodies
- Assess the Ground Situation
- Strengthen planning and policies
- Build Capacity and Raise Awareness
- Improve Infrastructure and Services
- Need for gender-responsive urban mobility
- Women are amongst the biggest users of public transport across Indian cities.
- On average, 45.4% women walked to work compared to 27.4% men.
- Lower income groups have higher usage of public transport.
- Urban mobility systems are often not designed to account for gender-based differences in mobility patterns. Lack of safe public transport deters women from accessing promising opportunities.
- It also deters women from stepping out, creating a vicious cycle that lowers their presence in public spaces.
- Initiatives taken to gender-responsive urban mobility
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- Integrated Sustainable Urban Transport Systems for Smart Cities (SMART-SUT) focus on improving transportation systems and integrating social and gender equity solutions.
- Delhi Government has made public transport free for women in the national capital.
- Kerala’s all women cab service ‘She taxi’.
- Recommendations
- Introduce digital ticketing systems and common mobility cards.
- Introduce a text-based SOS system to indicate distress and awareness campaigns for popularising helpline numbers.
