She pointed out that safe and affordable transport is a fundamental factor in enhancing women's participation in the labor market, not just a service or sectoral issue. She noted that improving and sustaining transport services for women contributes to expanding their access to job opportunities, in addition to addressing the difficulties and challenges associated with reaching their workplaces.
She highlighted the transport-related difficulties facing women in several regions, including limited coverage, long waiting times, high temperatures in some areas, infrastructure challenges, safe accessibility, and the need for multiple trips, which necessitates considering women's needs when designing public transport services.
Bani Mustafa indicated that the most prominent priorities related to the plan include connecting residential areas, especially in governorates and regions most in need of transport services, considering the needs of women with disabilities, strengthening oversight mechanisms, training workers in the transport sector, and launching awareness campaigns in this field.
Minister of Transport and Labor, Nidal Al-Qatamin, stated that the ministry is working to enhance women's access to safe and reliable public transport. This includes providing transport services for female agricultural workers, the possibility of relying on school transport in the southern governorates, and developing a regular inter-governorate transport system that now relies on specific schedules, frequencies, routes, electronic payment services, and television monitoring and tracking systems on transport vehicles. This enhances service reliability and raises safety levels, with the system ready to receive and handle feedback and complaints.
He noted that the Land Transport Regulatory Commission, in cooperation with the Vocational Training Corporation, is working to provide and develop bus stops according to standards that consider the needs of women and citizens, accessibility, climatic conditions, and safety. This provides a more suitable environment for public transport users, in parallel with strengthening the public transport system through the Passenger Support Fund and the options provided by the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, which offers regular, fast, and affordable transport options that have facilitated the movement of citizens to workplaces, schools, and services. He emphasized that developing public transport is a key factor in enhancing women's economic and social participation.
The attendees discussed the key components of the action plan to enhance women's access to safe and affordable public transport, which is based on several pillars, most notably governance and institutional integration, providing safe and inclusive infrastructure, accessible and reliable transport services, sustainable transport systems, as well as awareness campaigns and comprehensive planning, all within actionable measures.
