Transport is not gender neutral. Women’s mobility behavior differs greatly from that of men: on average, women walk more often and use public transport more, while men resort to the car more often. In doing so, women face the risk of (sexual) harassment and other forms of violence. Women have more diverse mobility needs and represent the largest share of public transport users worldwide. Yet, there are no robust data analyses on women’s mobility patterns and transportation needs. There is an urgent need to close the gender data gap to ensure that transportation planning, design, operations, and user experience are inclusive. As part of the Women Mobilize Women initiative, ground data sets were collected, analyzed, and policy recommendations developed in Nairobi, Lagos and Gauteng.
The objective is to map out gender-specific needs and mobility patterns in these urban centers. The focus of the data collection lies indications of mobility patterns, means of transport, mobility needs and limitations, as well as perceptions of existing mobility services and infrastructure. On behalf of WMW, WhereIsMyTransport Ltd. and Groots conducted multi-layered data collections in the African metropoles. The data collection includes online surveys, in-field surveys, ride-alongs, workshops and ground data collections with local shop owners. WheereIsMyTransport’s research resulted in the study ‘Decoding Women’s Travel Experiences’.
The open-source datasets are now available for download. On our dedicated website, you can find can learn about the results along profiles of six women user groups, regional comparisons, blog articles, and more!
