According to a study conducted by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), women commuters spend 21% more on transportation than men because they have to perform multiple tasks, including prioritising personal safety while travelling.
On Monday, the MMRDA announced findings from the Gender Inclusive Future Transport (GIFT) project, a UK government-funded initiative in conjunction with the World Resources Institute India (WRI India) that looked into the variations in men's and women's travel demands.
According to MMRDA, public transportation operations and planning are becoming increasingly data-driven and automated around the world. However, there is a rising awareness that data that is "gender blind" may accidentally exclude women and other groups.
This is a problem for digital innovation in a variety of industries, not simply transportation.
Metropolitan commissioner SVR Srinivas said, "The report will form the agency's gender strategy, including the need to continuously collect gender-disaggregated data. MMRDA is also aiming to increase the number of women working in Metro operations, including station controllers, security staff, and ticketing personnel."
While men use the Metro for business and social trips, women utilise it for care-giving activities such as shopping and doctor visits, according to the survey's findings. On most situations, women are also observed carrying big baggage or travelling with dependents.
Approximately 76 percent of women and 64 percent of men have traveled with dependents on the Metro and would like priority ticketing and security, as well as reserved seating, while traveling with dependents. According to the report, 78 percent of women prefer the women's coach, which they associate with safety rather than convenience.
Only 35% of women think access routes to stations are safe, compared to more than 50% of men who think the same routes are perfectly safe. Metro fares are a deterrent to homemakers, with 69 percent of women citing higher fares as the main reason for not taking the subway.
When it came to booking tickets via cards or other digital methods, there was little difference between men and women: 35% of women and 38% of men purchase their tickets or cards entirely through digital modes.
