59 per cent of women use public transport: Survey

Only 9 per cent women and 11 per cent men feel safe to use public transport in the country, of which 3 per cent of both women and men feel that public transport is extremely unsafe, says a report. Most women cite harassment like verbal abuse, staring, groping, catcalls, whistling, and molestation among others as the reason for their opinion.

Nearly 35 per cent men and women feel that public transport is safe except at night, says a report by cab aggregator by Ola released ahead of the International Women's Day on Friday. The report, which has surveyed 9,935 women across 11 cities to assess the current state of the mobility ecosystem, finds that women are willing to use public transport with 96 per cent prioritising affordability, coverage, frequency, safety and comfort.

The cities covered include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhuvaneshwar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Jammu, Kochi, Mumbai, Mysuru and New Delhi. Nearly 40 per cent cite affordability as the reason to choose public transport, with 26 per cent stating convenience, while 15 per cent say they have no other option.

It notes that 59 per cent of the surveyed women used public transport. Women constitute 38 per cent of bus users, 35 per cent of metro/train users and 40-45 per cent of auto-rickshaws, on-demand taxis and other shared mobility modes.

The report reveals that 89 per cent of women feel that the public transport information system can be better designed such that information is easily available and accessible.

(With inputs from agencies.)