Women’s Urban Mobility and on Demand Transportation Technology Services : A Study of Delhi NCR

Abstract

All humans need to move from one place to another in order to carry out the various tasks needed for their day to day survival. This act of moving of moving from place to place is what constitutes mobility. However, mobility does not manifest itself similarly for all people across the world. There lie differences in how mobile a person is based on their gender, social standing, and cultural differences. This study aims to understand how mobility manifests itself differently for women. Women’s mobility is being studied under the light of the introduction of on-demand transportation technology services (also known as app-based ride-hailing or ride-sourcing) in the city of Delhi NCR, a city that has myriad transportation options. This is a qualitative study making use of focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and secondary data analysis. The broad themes explored in this study were: women’s mobility patterns due to the introduction of on-demand transportation services, changes in their perception of safety and independence, and the regulatory issues surrounding the same. The findings of the study indicated that women’s mobility patterns have changed, although not to a very great extent. Their perception of safety has remained the same despite the strides made to make mobility safer but their perception of independence has improved exponentially. The regulatory issues identified involved the registration of these services, technology and data privacy related issues, and surge pricing. Finally, some policy recommendations have been outlined by the researcher towards the end of the study and the scope for future research has also been explored.

Key words: Urban mobility, urban planning, on-demand transportation technology services, app-based ride-hailing, gig economy.