SAFE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FOR EDUCATION
A 3D Program report on the evidence on public safety of girls and women in India found that girls and women report high rates of sexual harassment and assault on public transportation and little accountability. To manage and avoid these risks, they make significant compromises, including attending lower quality educational institutions which may be on safer travel routes than more competitive institutions, spending more on education, and extending travel time. Focus group discussions with rural girls and women in Pune District confirmed that girls and women experience harassment and violence and feel unsafe walking to and waiting at bus stops and on buses. Additionally, while subsidized passes are provided to students, State Transport buses are often cancelled, delayed or have inconvenient schedules, leaving girls with no regular and safe way to go to high school and college or return home. Many have to choose their course of study based on available transport, avoiding early morning or late-night classes or labs. A mapping of bus schedules in Purandar and Khed blocks in Pune District found a mismatch between bus and higher secondary/college schedules and the 3D Program is working with the Maharashtra State Transportation Corporation to adjust the schedules in those blocks.
Read more in our report Working Together for Girls’ and Women’s Safety in Public Spaces: Lessons from India