Survey to improve safe, reliable public transport

The National Transport PNG

THE UN Women is undertaking a Gender and Transport Study to analyse the current situation of public transport in Port Moresby.
The Safe Public Transport Programme specifically intends to support the provision of safe, reliable and affordable public transport that enables women and children to move freely and safely around Port Moresby.
UN Women Programme Specialist and Manager of Public Transport Project, Bessie Maruia said urban transport infrastructure and service did not often support accessibility and inclusion of low income populations,
which are often women and girls, elderly and people living with disabilities.
She said the Safe Public Transport programme has four key areas of intervention including:

  • institutional support,
  • capacity building,
  • advocacy and
  • the provision of gender sensitive infrastructure to address women and girl’s mobility and safety in and around public transport.

“It is also to support key transport partners such as the Road Traffic Authority and National Capital District with baseline data.
“Safe Public Transport Programme is implemented in close collaboration with key transport partners; Ginigoada Foundation, RTA, Department of Transport, Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) and the PMV Association.
“Without existing baseline data on user’s transport demand, existing transport services and infrastructure including transport institutions, it is almost impossible to implement an effective, affordable, safe and sustainable public transport system in Port Moresby.
“The Gender and Transport Study is expected to be completed by end of April.”
The study entails the following;

  1. Analysis of the user’s mobility and accessibility, including walking, accessing and using public transport.
  2. Analysing of transport services and infrastructure including the public transport routes network, its spatial coverage, quality and distribution (PMV routes) within the city of public motor vehicles (PMVs and
    Taxis. This analysis will also include key transport infrastructural development including bus stops and feeder systems.
  3. Analysis and management of transport institutional framework, operations and management including licensing, road safety, revenue tracking procedures and key public transport regulations.
  4. Design an provide recommendations of a suitable gender-sensitive public transportation system for Port Moresby considering sex-disaggregated user’s mobility and accessibility needs in a printable format
    (report with Infographic):Provide
  • analysis of transportation supply in relation to mobility and accessibility needs including women’s safety in and around public transport.
  • Provide suggestions to accommodate growing demand for public transportation for example, designing and introducing possible feeders for the buses.
  • Recommend areas for improvement in infrastructure and public amenities to improve women’s safety in and around public transportation.
  • Recommendation of route networks within the city (eg. Service coverage, network density, route overlapping, average bus stop spacing.
  • Recommend a comprehensivebus service standards including introducing to service standard, time table, for efficiency (eg. time- saving)
  • Estimation of potential transit demand by looking at land use and socio-economic and demographic data for future development of the city.

Maruia said public transportation was a daily part of life for women, girls, boys and men, specifically the low-income groups. Many use public transport to access key public goods and services.
“A scoping study by UN Women in 2014 found over 98 per cent of women and men surveyed confirmed using public transport to access markets and attend school especially for girls under 19 years of age.
“Despite the heavy reliance on PMVs for their daily mobility needs, PMV’s are over–crowded, unsafe and very unreliable, for women and girls due to lack of other alternatives, they continue to use PMV’s”
“From the study, over 90 per cent of women and girls have reported experiencing some form of violence when accessing public transport, including on buses, waiting at bus stops, walking to and from bus stops and taxis.
“This included verbal sexual remarks, extorting, robbery, threats or intimidation, inappropriate touching and indecent exposure.
“The current situation evokes fear of more severe attacks by creating a routine sense of insecurity, which in turn affect women’s freedom of movement.
“Thus, the Safe Public Transport Programme for women and children was launched in 2015 to support the provision of a safe, reliable and affordable public transport that enables women and children to move freely and safety around Port Moresby,” she said.
She said the programme envisions to support public transport regulations, policies, legislation and budgets that support and enhance to support women’s safe mobility and accessibility to economic opportunities.
“The RTA has been tasked to take charge of public transport system and ensure the design and implementation of an efficient, effective,and reliable transport system.”