Challenges to women’s mobility and access to public transportation in Malaysia

Public transportation in Malaysia has evolved through actions taken by government investments on the improvement of public transportation to reduce traffic congestion in the urban areas. So much have been done for the past decade as to increase the number of public transportation users. However, the improvement has not been able to address issues of women's safety in the physical design of public transportation. Past research strongly shows that women travel differently from men, in terms mobility and their concerns. These two elements are very subtle and must be plan thoroughly to achieve inclusive planning and gender equality for transportation. A holistic, multi-disciplinary approaches and strategies at various levels is needed for the short, medium and long-term issues of women’s mobility in Malaysia. The forefront challenges to women’s mobility in Malaysia are safety and access to public transportation and its related services. This paper is written based on a focus group discussion (FGD) conducted in University of Malaya with users of public transportation, and policy makers involved in the planning and law enforcement. The findings of the FGD found that the elements of physical design, policy, law and enforcement are inadequate to address the women’s mobility challenges, especially regarding safety in Malaysia public transportation system.