Reclaiming Our Urban Transport Systems
Public transportation in urban regions is meant to be accessed by all citizens. However, the usage of public transportation in India is skewed. Women are more reluctant to use modes of public transportation due to increasing instances of sexual and physical assault in public transport systems. Violent crimes against women in public transportation are common enough for them to be interpreted as societal problems rather than individual crimes.
Research by international organisations including the World Bank shows that around 90% of women feel unsafe whilst using public transportation in developing countries, including India. A significant number also take safety precautions that men otherwise do not. Despite the wide prevalence of crimes against women in India, this problem has been constantly been made invisible by the government and society through victim-blaming, the negation of harm and normalisation of harassment.
There is an immediate and urgent need to tend to this problem. The issue of safety deters women from accessing public transport, which is mostly used for commuting to the workplace. Those without the economic capacity to opt into using private modes of transportation are forced to seek employment in limited regions. This not only puts them at a disadvantage as compared to their male counterparts but also severely limits the opportunities that women earn to grow.
The problem of access to public transport does not end in the medium of transportation used. The commute to such mediums, especially metro stations is also considered unsafe for women. People choose auto-rickshaws or taxis to commute to metro stations. This commute has proven to be extremely unsafe in recent years. Taxi services like Uber and Ola and e-rickshaws remain largely unregulated by the government when it comes to checking the safety of women using them. There have been several instances of rape and assault committed by taxi drivers as well.
Research conducted by multiple organisations has concluded that women in cities like Delhi are systematically denied the freedom of mobility. The government has been pressured into making some positive changes to the public transportation infrastructure. Cameras have been installed in metro trains and metro stations. Security has also been enhanced over recent years by state governments.
However, such positive changes remain restricted to metros only. There is an absence of security personnel in local buses despite repeated instances of violent crimes being committed in them. The commute to metro stations continues to remain unsafe beyond the evenings. The issue of women’s safety in public transportation needs to be viewed holistically and broadly to cover gaps in policy formulation and implementation.