Women’s Unique Public Transportation Needs
Women and those identifying as women have unique and complex needs, behaviours, and expectations when it comes to transportation and mobility. Men’s and Women’s experiences with public transportation systems are different regarding safety, personal security, frequency, accessibility, and affordability (Grisé et al 2022). Women take more short-distance trips than men, make multiple short-duration stops, and often travel during mid-day or off-peak times. Women are the main users of public transportation worldwide, yet these factors are not taken into consideration when planning and designing transport systems (Gonzalez Carvajal and Mehmood Alam 2018, Zhen 2021).
Safety and personal security are some of the primary factors influencing women’s transportation and mobility preferences. Women regularly pay more to use ride-hailing and traditional livery services to avoid harassment and aggression on public transportation (Loukaitou-Sideris 2009, Zhen 2021). Studies of the transport sector in Latin America and the Caribbean by Transport Gender Lab, show that greater than 60% of women who use public transit have experienced some form of physical or verbal assault (IADB 2022). These findings are similar to those about the experiences of women in North American cities, who have a greater reliance on public transit than men and often travel during off-peak hours because of their responsibilities for domestic work and roles as caregivers (Burns-Pieper 2019, Golob and McNally 1997, Grisé et al 2022, Loukaitou-Sideris 2009).
Women experience different perceptions of safety than men while using public transit in Canada (Grisé et al 2022). Although women’s safety and personal security concerns while using public transit are recognized by local governments, opportunities exist to further engage riders in understanding how these concerns can affect a user’s overall experience. Safety concerns on public transit in Calgary are at the forefront of discussions after a series of recent high-profile incidents on CTrain platforms (Smith 2022). These concerns are expected to intensify as Transit officials increase service to 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of September 2022 as part of the city’s economic recovery strategy (MacVicar 2022a, b).
The Problem: Women are the main users of public transportation, yet their unique needs and safety concerns are overlooked when designing and planning public transit systems.
Public transit systems are historically designed using a gender-neutral approach, which marginalizes large groups of users including women and those identifying as women (Grisé et al 2022). This design approach is tailored to able-bodied white men who travel to and from the suburbs to a central business district in metropolitan areas. Transit systems designed using this approach make it challenging for women to travel, since they are more likely than men to act as caregivers and be responsible for unpaid domestic work (Steiner 2000). As a result of these responsibilities, women may have lower incomes and are more reliant on transit and make shorter, multiple trips closer to home.
How might we improve safety and security for women and address their unique needs on public transit systems? It is well documented that public sector and transit agencies have workforces with a higher proportion of male-identified staff compared to female-identified staff (Grisé et al 2022). Improving gender equality in the public transit workforce may help to address women’s needs by directly adding their perspectives to the operation and design of transit systems.
How might we increase the number of women working in public transit? Although it is recognized that improving gender parity may help to address women’s needs and concerns about personal safety on public transit, how do we recruit and incentivize women to work for transit agencies? Not only do the needs of women using transit need to be addressed, but the needs of women working for transit agencies also need to be identified and acknowledged. Making conditions more favourable for women from both a user and employee perspective will improve experiences for everyone who uses public transit.
How might we make transit more accessible and affordable for everyone? Since women are more likely than men to act as caregivers and be responsible for chauffeuring people in their care, lowering the cost of travel may help to meet their needs. Lowering or removing fees for children, seniors, and other segmented groups who use public transit has been suggested as a way to remove barriers to travel (Grisé et al 2022). Making transit ridership more affordable could also incentivize new users to start using transit, which in turn could increase diversity and inclusion. Providing cost-effective travel will ultimately encourage more equitable ridership, which will benefit everyone who uses public transit.
Incorporating Women’s Experiences and Needs into Calgary Transit Design
Safety and personal security are key concerns for women who use public transportation in Calgary. They may feel frightened or anxious to travel on public transit following several recent violent and drug-related incidents along or near Ctrain platforms (MacVicar 2022a, b). Their fears might be eased somewhat by the increase in enforcement and patrols and the upgrading of video system security monitoring systems (Smith 2022). However, women may resort to paying more for alternatives such as ride-hailing or taxi services instead of using transit out of concern for their personal safety.
New and innovative designs and services addressing women’s concerns about personal safety and security will need to be developed to improve overall user experiences. Solutions above and beyond simply providing greater numbers of uniformed staff and increasing surveillance such need to be implemented to reassure women that they are safe. Responses to concerns including making uniformed officers more approachable, redistributing service throughout the day from peak times, and partnering with other agencies will provide a greater sense of perceived and actual security (Grisé et al 2022).
The experiences of women and those who identify as women are important to consider when designing and planning public transit systems. Public transit is an essential service for cost-effective travel within municipalities to access services, amenities, and places of employment. Incorporating women’s experiences, behaviours and feelings into the design will ensure that their travel needs are met and will ultimately make transit service more equitable and accessible for all users.
REFERENCES:
Burns-Pieper, A. (2017, July 9). Thousands of Canadian transit passengers target of sexual violence between 2013 and 2017, Globe analysis finds. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-data-gap-transit-sexual-assault-investigation/
City of Calgary. (2022). Safety on Transit. City of Calgary. Calgary Transit. https://www.calgarytransit.com/content/transit/en/home/rider-information/safety-on-transit.html
City of Calgary. (2022). Additional safety measures on our system. City of Calgary. Calgary Transit. News. https://www.calgarytransit.com/content/transit/en/home/news/enhanced-safety.html
Golob, T.F. and McNally, M.G. (1997, June). A model of activity participation and travel interactions between household heads. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 31(3), p. 177–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-2615(96)00027-6
Gonzalez Carvajal, K. and Mehmood Alam, M. (2018, January 24). Transport is not gender-neutral. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/transport/transport-not-gender-neutral
Grisé, E., Boisjoly, G., Babbar, P., Peace, J., and Cooper, D. (2022, January). Understanding and Responding to the Transit Needs of Women in Canada. Report. Prepared by Leading Mobility, University of Alberta, and Polytechnique Montreal. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
IADB. (2022). Transport Gender Lab. Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). https://tglab.iadb.org/en
Loukaitou-Sideris, A., Bornstein, A., Fink, C., Gerami, S., and Samuels, L. (2009, October). How to Ease Women’s Fear of Transportation Environments: Case Studies and Best Practices. MTI Report 09–01. Mineta Transportation Institute, College of Business, San Jose State University, California.
MacPherson, A. (2022, January 31). Public transit services in Canadian cities not meeting many women’s travel needs: report. University of Alberta. Folio. https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2022/01/public-transit-services-in-canadian-cities-not-meeting-many-womens-travel-needs.html
MacVicar, A. (2022, April 28). Calgary Transit relaunch strategy to include security personnel amid safety concerns. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/8795425/calgary-transit-relaunch-strategy-safety-concerns/
MacVicar, A. (2022, May 27). Calgary Transit focuses on restoring service and safety in recovery strategy. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/8876400/calgary-transit-recovery-strategy/
Smith, A. (2022, May 7). Edmonton, Calgary grapple with safety concerns on transit amid push to bring riders back. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-edmonton-calgary-grapple-with-safety-concerns-on-transit-amid-push-to/
Steiner, R. (2000). Women’s Travel for Shopping in Traditional Neighborhoods: How Does a Woman’s Role in the Household Affect Activity and Travel for Shopping? Women’s Travel Issues. Proceedings from the Second National Conference. Chapter 16. American Psychological Association. https://doi. org/10.1037/e736202011–018
Zhen, S. (2021, March 8). Rethinking public transportation for women’s safety and security. Sustainable Mobility. ICLEI. Local Governments for Sustainability. https://sustainablemobility.iclei.org/rethinking-public-transportation-for-womens-safety-and-security/
