Harvard, WB to study impact of free bus travel for women

New Delhi : The impact of the Delhi government's scheme to provide free travel to women in public transport buses will be studied by a team of researchers from the Harvard University and World Bank.

The Harvard University has collaborated with the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) of Delhi to study the impact of the scheme, Vice Chairman of the Commission Jasmine Shah said. The AAP government's ambitious plan of allowing free travel to women in over 5,500 public transport buses in the city will come into force from October 29.

The researchers from the Harvard University and World Bank appreciate the scheme, Shah said in a statement. The research team comprises Dr Girija Borker, a World Bank economist, and Dr Gabriel Kreindler and Dev Patel, both from the Harvard University. "This is a unique and large-scale policy and hence a valuable opportunity to better understand factors that improve mobility and safety for women," the research team said.

It is a unique opportunity for the Delhi government and the DDC to study the short and long-term impacts of free bus travel for women scheme, Shah said. "This is a first of its kind policy experiment in the world and what we learn in Delhi could have implications for Indian cities as well as other countries," he said. This is a unique and large-scale policy and hence a valuable opportunity to better understand factors that improve mobility and safety for women, Dr Kreindler said.

The research design will use primary data collected from a sample of approximately 800 women living across Delhi. It will be collected through an initial household baseline survey as well as repeated telephone surveys before and after the launch of the scheme.

The data will include a travel diary and questions on observed and experienced incidents related to women safety in public transport, the statement read. In addition, the research team will collect data on bus ridership separately on the basis of gender through direct observation at selected bus stops across Delhi, before and after the implementation of the scheme.