Researchers:
Dr. Gabriel Kreindler, Department of Economics & Prize Fellow, Harvard University
Dev Patel, Researcher, Harvard University
Dr. Girija Borker, Consultant, World Bank
About the Study
The “free bus travel for women” policy is unique in the world in terms of its scope, and it is a valuable opportunity to learn about the determinants of women’s mobility constraints and safety in public transportation. In addition to directly making travel more affordable, the policy may affect the safety of traveling by bus by changing the environment for travel, in particular by increasing the number of women who travel, as well as changing overall bus crowdedness.
This study will analyze the short-run impact of the launch of the policy on several measures of women’s travel behavior as well as on measures of safety on buses. The research design uses primary data collected from a sample or approximately 800 women in Delhi. The data will be collected through an initial household baseline survey as well as repeated telephone surveys before and after the launch of the policy and will include a travel diary as well as questions on observed and experienced incidents of sexual harassment. In addition, data will be collected on bus ridership separately by gender through direct observation in selected bus stops throughout Delhi, both before and after the policy.
Status
Ongoing