Addressing Travel Needs of Women on Public Transportation

Since the 1970s research presented at domestic and international conferences has documented and addressed areas where the travel needs of women are distinct. An important conclusion from the research is that disparities and imbalances exist for women that impose burdens and limitations on mobility and access. To date, this awareness has not been widely translated into inclusive planning, policies, and practices to mitigate the burdens and limitations and to effectively address the travel needs of women. Recently some public transportation agencies, such as Los Angeles Metro, have initiated programs and a Gender Action Plan designed to: (1) raise awareness of gender differences in travel, (2) ensure diverse gender perspectives are considered in policies, programs, projects, and services, (3) address gender gaps in policies, programs, projects, and services, (4) improve quality and accessibility of public transportation services for women, and (5) create measurable progress toward gender gap goals. Major barriers exist to effectively address the travel needs of women. The objective of this research is to develop a practical resource for public transportation agencies, planning organizations, and their partnering organizations to (1) improve the travel experience of women and all travelers, (2) foster gender-inclusive decision-making, and (3) increase the use of fixed-route transit services, microtransit, on-demand services, and non-motorized travel connections. The resource should address more inclusive decision-making for all aspects of public transportation planning, operations, and capital investments.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5440

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $300000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project B-53

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Schwager, Dianne

• Performing Organizations:

  Fehr & Peers

  Washington, District of Columbia  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Waldheim, Nicole

• Start Date: 20231110
• Expected Completion Date: 20260110
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Demand responsive transportation; Females; Fixed routes; Gender; Micromobility; Needs assessment; Nonmotorized transportation; Public transit; Quality of service; Transit operating agencies; Transportation planning
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01866941
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project B-53
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Dec 13 2022 9:10AM