Enhancing Women’s Safety in Public and Private Transportation
Introduction
Taking the metro to the workplace, calling Kareem or Uber to go shopping, or using In Drive to visit favorite dining places – when traveling is never constrained by the lack of car ownership, it feels so empowering, doesn’t it? For men, yes; but not so for women.
Safety Concerns for Women
For women, the unrelenting thrill of travel quickly translates into a serious threat. Traveling alone is never a safe option for women in Pakistan, even in broad daylight, let alone the travails of traveling at night. Stories of harassment and abuse are appallingly common.
Personal Experiences of Harassment
I remember a recent incident with a friend. She had called a cab, and the moment the vehicle hit the road, the driver began to touch himself inappropriately. This is just one of the many instances of harassment that occur each day. Harassment is not always explicitly sexual.
Financial and Verbal Intimidation
Cab drivers often pressure women to pay more than the fare at which the ride was booked. Female passengers, especially young girls, often complain of being verbally intimidated by drivers to pay extra or simply get off and cancel the ride. But this problem is not limited to cab drivers only.
Last-Mile Journey Concerns
Most public transit systems have not been designed to address women’s concerns in the last-mile journey. I remember an incident when the conductor of a local wagon asked a woman to disembark from the vehicle and wait for the next one or pay an extra fare for one seat if she did not want a man to sit next to her.
The Need for Safe Spaces
Luckily for her, the men sitting inside the vehicle admonished the conductor. Still, the issue was settled only when some of them agreed to pay the extra fare for letting the seat go empty. The woman was embarrassed and traumatized. But for what fault? She had already paid the fare for her seat, and all she demanded was a safe space.
Missing Discourse on Safe Spaces
The concept of safe space is missing from our discourse. Most transport projects are designed with cost and efficiency in mind. Equity is also considered but more so from a spatial perspective. Gender-based transport access needs more attention.
Immediate Remedies
A few easy and quick remedies can be implemented straight away. Some ride-hailing apps have already installed safety features, which is a welcome step. Installing cameras inside all (or at least some) vehicles would also increase safety. Additionally, designing algorithms that monitor the location of the driver, passenger, and vehicle, and set off alerts in case of any deviation from the route is vital for enhancing security.
Mandatory Security Checks
Proper security checks or at least a character certificate from the police could be made mandatory for drivers. While some companies may already be implementing such measures, it is imperative to incorporate them into our regulatory regimes to ensure uniform safety and security standards and strict monitoring by the government.
Providing Security-Related Information
An innovative approach could include providing security-related information about a route. Such information could include statistics on local crime and the population density of a given area. This would be especially helpful for women unfamiliar with certain areas. These measures should not be limited to cab drivers. Local wagons and buses should also comply with such measures.
Improving Public Transport Conditions
There is a significant need for improvement in the condition of local wagons to allow for better separation between seats so that women can sit next to male passengers while retaining their safe space. Although these measures would provide public transport companies with an excuse to increase fares, the government can keep a check on fares through various regulatory tools. All these measures would improve the experience on the route.
Addressing the Last Mile
However, the journey from home to the station also needs a gendered perspective. This is what is known as the “last mile” journey. Most public transit systems have not been designed to address women’s concerns in the last-mile journey.
Urban vs. Rural Travel Needs
Lastly, it is also important to recognize the varying nature and travel needs of urban and rural women. Metro buses or trains which provide a better traveling experience for women exist only in a few cities. Moreover, strategies that may work in urban cities like Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi may not work in a small, remote rural village in any of our provinces. So, integrating urban and rural perspectives into safety policies for transport is also important.
Conclusion
If vehicles can’t provide safety and security to our women, this nation is certainly not traveling on the road to gender equity!