Unveiling the Reality: Addressing Gender exclusion and Insecurity in Public Transit

As businesses are expanding, more women are moving out of their homes in pursuit of meaningful careers. While cities have their doors open, the environment within remains challenging to navigate due to rampant sexual harassment faced by women in public transport. Although state governments like Tamil Nadu and Delhi are providing free rides to women in public buses; it brings us to the realisation that no matter how accessible and efficient these initiatives are, they will remain incomplete without addressing the bigger issue – sexual exploitation and gender exclusion in the transport system

A report published by the National Crime Records Bureau stated that a total of 43,414 cases of crime against women were registered during 2021, showing an increase of 22.9 per cent over 35,331 cases in 2020. However, only 357 cases were reported under the sexual harassment of women in public transport with Madhya Pradesh being on top with 92 reported cases and Hyderabad with 14 cases- the highest among the metropolitan cities.

However, the World Bank 2022 report says otherwise. Around 88 per cent of surveyed women faced sexual harassment while travelling by public transportation in Delhi and only one per cent has gone to the police station to report. More than 50 per cent of women travellers surveyed in Chennai are said to have faced sexual exploitation but only six per cent reported to the police. Pune did a little better at reporting; 12 per cent out of 63 per cent of women surveyed approached the police. 75 per cent of women commuting through Mumbai’s local trains didn’t know the helpline number and only two per cent have reported cases of harassment to the police with none being satisfied with their actions.

The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and Youth Ki Awaaz, a media outlet, conducted a survey and found out that women experience anxiety while travelling and use transportation facilities that in most cases do not have any technological add-ons for safety. More than 52 per cent of women surveyed, stated that the feeling of insecurity while travelling in local buses has caused them to turn down education and work opportunities. Thirty-three per cent of those women who do not use the urban transport system said they would only shift to using a local commute if it was safer and designed with a gender-inclusive mind.

Another survey conducted by School of Planning and Architecture stated that men mostly tend to travel for work, undertake long trips and often during peak hours. Women, on the other hand, make multiple short trips – to complete household chores and fetch children from schools at the off-peak hours – called trip chaining – end up paying more than the daily traveller. As a result, women tend to often end up using other modes of transportation, indicating concern over women’s travel safety too.

Safety and Security

The major reason why sexual harassment goes unreported is due to lack of awareness, characterising it as eve-teasing and deeming it not to be a serious matter to report, fear of victim blaming, social stigma, and women simply choosing to move away from the trouble-makers due to fear of creating a scene.

With the public transport authorities and the urban local bodies strengthening the Grievance Redressal System by being rapid, responsive, result oriented and the entire process of a user reporting a complaint and delivering the results at the end of the process would encourage women to seek help.

The Grievance Redressal System can also be used to streamline users connecting to emergency helpline numbers to dispatch the third-party service by locating the victim’s number. This method has been used by the city of New Orleans. The city has opted for Quick Base- an advanced technology system which streamlines all 911 calls by connecting people, data and systems through an interface with different emergency departments like police, fire and medical emergencies.

Chennai too has opted for a proper functional Grievance Redressal Mechanism which has been made available round the clock to women in distress. Provisions have been made to receive complaints through helpline numbers, in-person, online complaint forms, text messages and through mobile apps. The Kaaval Uthavi smartphone application, which is managed by the Tamil Nadu Police, gives users the option to instantly alert the police in an emergency using an SOS button. After five seconds of pressing the SOS button on the application’s home page, the police receive a notification containing the user’s contact information, location, and a brief video taken with the phone’s back camera. The software also enables women to report incidents of harassment, including the date, time, and type of abuse.

Named after the horrendous 2012 Nirbhaya Rape Case, the Government of India came up with the Nirbhaya Fund, a non-lapsable corpus fund, that provides resources to states and central ministries to implement safety measures. A few cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Lucknow have used the funds to establish one-stop centres for violence survivors and to enhance police capacity for investigating crimes against women. More cities should seek benefits of this fund and move a step further by hiring female staff working as station managers, to collect tickets and cleaning staff. Installation of CCTV cameras, GPS tracking and panic buttons can also make travelling safer. Such safety schemes will encourage more women to complain hassle-free.

Gender-inclusive transportation

Most urban mobility systems are not designed with a gender-balanced perspective. Cities are built better for heterosexual, cis-gender and able-bodied men than they are for women. With 52 per cent of the population in this country, male, the urban mobility system has long paid heed to the male’s crucial rush hour commute, overlooking women’s travel needs even though women represent the largest share of public transport users around the world.

This narrative can be changed by utilising data to make proper infrastructure and provide unbiased facilities. One of the prime examples is the city of Mumbai. The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation recognised the complexity that women face and conducted a detailed study by collecting and analysing gender-disaggregated data to understand their mobility patterns. In collaboration with the World Bank, they introduced eight women-only trains-the Ladies Specials, off-peak trains, separate counters; and Home Guards are deputed for safety.

The capital city of Austria, Vienna, also found through a survey that women’s transportation usage was more complex and varied than men’s, as women have different needs and use for public transit systems due to their different roles in society. The city planners consequently, improved restrooms in public transport facilities and installed proper lighting for safety. They increased the number of transit services during off hours and provided late-night drop-off services by transit authorities if requested.

The only way to address gender-based differences is through gender-responsive services, infrastructure and policies. Collecting and analysing user data to understand their needs and patterns will help the authorities devise more evidence-based solutions, while with the help of safety audits, women can assess which one of the elements of infrastructure leads to a lack of safety at bus stops, metro stations as well as at social amenities such as parks, toilets and markets. Safetipin, a community-based organisation has mapped the entire city of Delhi and conducted 25,294 safety audits where street lighting was identified as a major focus area focus, helped in reducing dark spots in the city from about 7,500 to 2,700 between 2016 to 2019.

The city of Paris has come up with a policy where all necessary services are to be available within 15 minutes from the residential areas by foot, bike or public transit, which makes it easier for women to commute and make multiple rounds; whereas Austria has rolled out countrywide access to public transport for a minimal annual fee of three euros which is equivalent to just `265.47.

Addressing the issue of sexual harassment and creating gender-inclusive transportation systems is essential for promoting women’s safety and enabling their full participation in society. The urgent need for comprehensive measures to combat harassment and provide safe and reliable public transport options should be prioritised and must be included in urban policies to create a society where women can move freely without any fear. By prioritising women’s safety and ensuring gender-responsive services, we can foster a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.