Gender-responsive mobility is critical for inclusive and sustainable urban development in India. Yet, public transport systems often inadequately address the specific needs of women and gender minorities. Addressing these challenges effectively can unlock significant economic gains — improved access to mobility could boost female workforce participation and contribute up to $2.9 trillion to India’s GDP by 2025 (2015 McKinsey Report).

  • 52% of women have turned down educational opportunities due to unsafe commutes — safety continues to be a critical barrier (2020 Observer Research Foundation survey).
  • 45% of women walk to work, often not by choice, but because affordable, reliable transport options are limited (World Bank. 2022. India - Toolkit for Enabling Gender Responsive Urban Mobility and Public Spaces).
  • Women spend an average of 140 minutes per day on caregiving, nearly double the 74 minutes spent by men. While there has been an upward trend in male participation, caregiving remains largely the responsibility of women. (Time-use survey of India 2024)

These figures offer a glimpse into the everyday mobility of women. Beyond work and education, women also make trips for household activities, characterized as Mobility of Care.  

Watch the video that captures a discussion on the concept of ‘Mobility of Care’. 

Since 2015, WRI India has been working towards building inclusive mobility systems across several Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Kochi, Indore, Bhopal and Prayagraj. Our work engages diverse stakeholder groups, ranging from transit agencies and fleet operators to civil society organizations (CSOs), focusing on issues of women’s mobility as commuters and transport sector workers. Through primary data collection, research, technical assistance, and pilot demonstrations, our work has informed and influenced the gender-responsive planning of transport in multiple cities. 

Key Projects

MobiliseHER: Mobility for All 

MobiliseHER, a three-year consortium project, is aimed at making cities more inclusive by addressing everyday mobility challenges and developing replicable solutions starting from focus cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Kochi. The project, undertaken in partnership with Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI), WRI India, CEPT Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) India, is co-funded by EuropeAid.  

Visit Project

Uddeshya: Toward Gender-Responsive Mobility Systems 

Uddeshya, WRI India’s flagship annual conference on gender and mobility, offers a collaborative platform that brings together diverse stakeholders across the mobility ecosystem to ensure greater visibility, discussion, and debate on gender issues in mobility. It also promotes coordinated action and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange between multiple actors, including multilateral organizations, development banks, civil society organizations, universities, research organizations, private enterprises and financing agencies.   

Community of Practice for Gender-Responsive Urban Mobility in India 

A collaborative initiative by The World Bank Group, WRI India, GIZ, anchored by National Institute of Urban Affairs, the CoP aims to foster cross-sectoral knowledge exchange, research, and capacity building, enabling cities to integrate gender mainstreaming principles into urban mobility planning and implementation. 

Join the Community of Practice

EquiMobility Champions: Building Leadership for Change  

Launched in 2024, EquiMobility Champions was a 10-month education and mentorship program anchored by WRI India wherein we empowered 12 emerging leaders to shape inclusive mobility policies and practices, equipping them with the tools to create systemic change. 

Learn more about EquiMobility Champions