🧩 The Challenge
In cities across India, 30–50 percent of women report using public transport, mostly buses, as their primary way to get around. However, perceived safety is a major concern, especially at night. A 2021 World Bank study in Chennai found that women generally avoid traveling after dark, in part because of safety concerns. The study found that women travel more frequently between 3 and 5 pm, when it is light outside. Men travel more between 5 and 7 pm.
Public transport is often not designed with women’s needs in mind, which limits their access to jobs, education, and economic independence.
The World Bank’s study in Chennai found that many women worry about their safety and security on public transport. Many reported sexual harassment at all times of day and rising in the evening and at night. Few female public transit riders knew about emergency helplines, and a shortage of restrooms, challenges getting on and off buses and trains, and dense crowds are all sources of concern.
🛠️ The Intervention
The Chennai Gender and Policy Lab (GPL)1 is designed to create safer public areas, including public transport spaces, for women in the city.
To do that, the GPL conducted safety audits at 47 transit and other public places throughout the city. The audit dug deep into detail; it revealed that though people often felt unsafe crossing streets, they avoided foot bridges and subways. And the presence of street vendors, especially women, made people feel safer.
With that information, GPL designed training programs for city authorities and campaigns to raise awareness on women’s safety. It advocated for reclaiming public spaces, addressing topics like bystander intervention, asserting women’s rights to the city, and standing against gender-based violence (GBV). GPL helped direct the placement and design of new and renovated bus shelters. In the city’s parks, GPL recommended infrastructure upgrades like better lighting, seating, visibility, and maintenance. It also suggested displaying helpline numbers on signs and training security guards to handle harassment. GPL analyzed helpline data to identify “dark spots” and helped install 425 new light posts in 152 locations.
💡 Lesson Learned
- Political Leadership: Political will and support from senior leadership, especially the Greater Chennai Corporation, Chennai’s local government, was crucial.
- Government Priorities: Linking GPL’s work with national programs built political support.
- Breaking Down Silos: A working group comprised of local government leaders, Chennai’s transport authority, and the city's police shared data and resources.
- A Data-Driven Approach: Data helped GPL analyze how different women and men use public spaces. This data then informed improvements in infrastructure and services.
📌 Conclusion
The Chennai Gender and Policy Lab is focused on the safety of women in public spaces and transportation. It integrates considerations for women into city-wide planning and service delivery. Using research, community input, and collaboration with city authorities, GPL has suggested new policies and done safety audits, and its work has led to a greater awareness of women’s rights. This work, and the GPL’s new Gender Inclusive Design Manual for the Chennai metropolitan area, are pivotal moves toward building inclusive infrastructure for women over the long term.
Note: Gerald Paul Ollivier, Lead Transport Specialist at the World Bank, reviewed and cleared this case study.
1 Chennai City Partnership: Sustainable Urban Services Program (P175221).