Gender Differences in the Perception of Safety in Public Transport \\ \large Inter-modal comparisons between buses and subways

Abstract

This study quantifies the gender gap in the perception of safety and satisfaction in metros. We use a large-scale unique customer satisfaction survey on 25 countries worldwide over 2014-2018. Each respondent rates on a 1-5 scale to what extent they agree with the statements: (i) ”Trains are a secure place for me” and (ii) ”Stations are a secure place for me”. They also rate their overall service satisfaction on a 1-5 scale. We run ordered probit specifications since dependent variables are ordinal. Results suggest a significant gender gap: we find that women are 10% more likely than men to feel unsafe in metros. The gender gap is smaller and only of 3% for overall service satisfaction. Results are stable across specifications and robust to city-level controls and time fixed effects. Effects are heterogeneous with respect to age and country. Results show that this gap is differentiated both at the city and continent levels. Additional regressions test for the influence of metro characteristics on perceived safety. We find that more acts of violence, larger carriages and emptier vehicles decrease the feeling of safety among women. Also, more staff in metros does not significantly increase female safety. Results suggest grounds for intervention from service providers.

JEL codes: G40; R38; R42.