Pink revolution of fare-free Public Transport on women’s Socio-economic Welfare, Barcelona, Spain

SHARMA, Dev Mani. Pink revolution of fare-free Public Transport on women’s Socio-economic Welfare, Barcelona, Spain. In XVI Jornadas de Economía Laboral, Barcelona, Spain. 2024.

Basic information

• Original name: Pink revolution of fare-free Public Transport on women’s Socio-economic Welfare, Barcelona, Spain
• Authors: SHARMA, Dev Mani.
• Edition: XVI Jornadas de Economía Laboral, Barcelona, Spain, 2024.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Country of publisher: Spain
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Organization unit: Faculty of Economics and Administration
• Keywords in English: Labor market; wage; inequality; gendergap; gender; gap; labor;market; female; public; transport
• Tags: Accessible Transport, Fare Free Public Transport, Gendered Mobility, Transport Policy Evaluation, Women Travel

Abstract

In October 2019, Delhi (India) introduced the world's first groundbreaking gender-specific public transport initiative. The state implemented a pink pass policy granting fare-free public bus travel exclusively to women. The reform aimed to enhance women's socio-economic engagement and ensure safer bus commutes. I estimate women’s pre- and post-reform mobility patterns by utilizing data from Delhi economic survey reports, transport company records, and 2,142 observations of [own data] Delhi women survey (2023). This article conducts a descriptive evaluation of the policy's efficacy, scrutinizing its implementation, rationale, inherent challenges, and the state's evaluation methods. My findings reveal a positive effect of the reform on women’s socio-economic welfare. Furthermore, this article identifies policy gaps and recommends reform refinement. To my knowledge, it is the first literature to discuss the impact of fare-free public transport on women’s social inclusion, patriarchal independence, economic welfare, and safer transport. My research provides insight and extends the existing studies to ratify the significance of gender-specific affordable public transport.

Links

• MUNI/A/1466/2023, interní kód MU: Name: What do women want? Analyzing women’s preference between public transport safety and fare-free transport- A case study of Delhi pink pass policy

Investor: Masaryk University, What do women want? Analyzing women’s preference between public transport safety and fare-free transport- A case study of Delhi pink pass policy