ABSTRACT
Personal safety perceptions impact upon not only travellers’ behaviour and satisfaction but may also diminish their general well-being and health. These effects are particularly negative among female travellers, a group which feels especially vulnerable from certain types of aggression. To tackle women’s personal safety problems several cities around the world introduced transport for women only.
Data from Mexico City and its metropolitan area is used to examine how the characteristics of female travellers and of their trips impact upon travel satisfaction with public transport for women only for different travel modes (metro, city bus, and metropolitan BRT) and users based on their previous victimisation. This chapter demonstrates that female travellers’ appreciation of public transport for women only services varies as a function of some of their socio-demographic and travel characteristics (some age groups, trip purposes, and travel frequency).
Considering the strength of the marginal effect’s coefficient from a number of ordered logit models three travel attributes should be prioritised: (1) level of satisfaction with travelling with women only, (2) reducing exposure to verbal aggressions, (3) and meeting travellers’ waiting time expectations. This study may help stakeholders identify, target, and prioritise female travellers’ groups which are least satisfied with the service. In addition, this chapter provides some policy recommendations and highlights the role of infrastructure that may help improve the overall travel experience.
