Gender and Public Transport : Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

This study was commissioned by The World
 Bank as part of the research to feed into the development of
 the Government of Nepal's national transport management
 strategy. The overall strategy vision is 'to develop
 safe, efficient and environmentally friendly
 transport'. Under the second pillar of the draft
 strategy which refers to 'management of road
 transport', there is specific reference to the
 particular needs of women in transport. The study took place
 between October and December, 2013 and comprised a review of
 secondary data and the collection of primary data via a
 questionnaire survey of public transport users in the
 Kathmandu valley, qualitative conversations and focus group
 discussions with users and non-users of public transport as
 well as key informant interviews with transport operators,
 police and relevant Government department staff and
 supplemented by participant observation. The questionnaire
 survey was carried out with 470 people (60 percent women)
 and qualitative conversations involved a further 165 (58
 percent women). The questionnaire was administered 'in
 situ' as people were commuting on public transport at
 different times of the day and on different transport routes
 in and around the city.