OptiPEx research focusing on gender and safety in public transport was recently presented to students at the University of Zaragoza, as part of modules for two courses of study: the Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and the Master’s Degree in Sociology of Public and Social Policies.
During these sessions, students were introduced to the project’s objective to improve the passenger experience of public transport and some of the findings from the project’s focus groups were presented, specifically those relating to experiences of harassment, perceptions of insecurity, and the strategies some women adopted to address these when travelling.
For the social work students, these findings provided an opportunity to reflect on how a social issue can influence public transport use, the affect this has on everyday mobility, and the impact of this on a person’s access to education, employment, and social opportunities. For the Master’s students, the presentation highlighted the project’s methodological approach to addressing citizens’ needs. In doing so, the sessions focused on how applied research was conducted, from identifying needs and collecting data through surveys and focus groups, to the qualitative analysis of findings and their use in informing potential improvements to public transport.
Together, these sessions raised awareness among university students of issues relating to inclusion, gender-based violence, and the importance of creating safer and more accessible public transport systems. By teaching and capacitating future generations in these areas, OptiPEx is laying the foundation for the a future where all public transport is developed to be accessible and sustainable, and further, that this thinking is extended into the development of other public goods.
