Purpose This paper aims to examine the gender differences in various measures of travel behavior for a large-sized Indian city, taking into account the existing class differences. Design/methodology/approach Stratified random sampling technique is used to collect primary data for travel behavior. The collected data is then differentiated on the basis of socioeconomic characteristics and gender. Descriptive statistics are used for analysis. Findings The findings confirm that, women mostly walk and men use motorized vehicles. With an improvement in socioeconomic status, women switch over to public transport and men continue to ride motorized vehicles. While the number of women making everyday trips declines with a rise in socioeconomic status, the number of men rises. Research limitations/implications The study points out at the need for development of an adequate infrastructure of nonmotorized transport and public transport in the city which attends to not only the issue of environmental quality but also of women’s empowerment. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time a comprehensive analysis of differences in travel behavior between men and women on the basis of socioeconomic status is carried out in this region. This analysis will facilitate the policy makers in understanding the inconsistencies in transport demand between the two groups of population.

PurposeUsing survey data of a developing country city, this study aims to examine the impact of different socio-demographic factors on the choice of less-polluting modes of transport for purposes other than work.Design/methodology/approachStratified random sampling technique is employed and data on socio-demographic characteristics and mode of transport used is collected. Descriptive statistics complemented with a logit model of choice probabilities is implemented on the data obtained.FindingsMajority of the population in the city uses motorized means of transportation irrespective of the socio-demographic changes existing among them. Women, the individuals belonging to the youngest age group, the least economically well-off group of people, the least educated and the non-working are the individuals more likely to use more of less-polluting modes and less of more-polluting modes for non-work purposes as compared to their counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsThe study also calls for the development of an efficient and secured system of public transportation and non-motorized transportation in the city in such a way so as to neither hamper the goal of sustainability nor the goal of empowerment.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time a comprehensive analysis of the influence of socio-demographic factors on choice of type of mode of transport is carried out in this region of the developing world. This analysis will facilitate the policy makers in catering to the transportation needs of different segments of the society.

This study examines travel behaviour of individuals differentiated with respect to gender, occupation and area using survey data collected from a city and a village in northern India. Doing this not only helps in analysing which section of the population produces the lowest carbon footprint but also in highlighting the existing difficulties faced by a certain section in choosing the most comfortable, the cheapest and the least polluting attitude towards every day travel. While the group of rural women comprises of the least frequent travellers, that of urban men make the most frequent travellers. Disparities are also observed in the mode of transport used by different sections. Urban housewives walk, rural housewives use public transport; students, irrespective of the area or gender use public transport; and a growing percentage of working people use motorized two-wheelers. Because women heavily depend on walking or using the public transport, this study points out at the need for an adequate walking infrastructure in the city along with safer and secured public transportation services for both urban and rural area. The demand for expansion of such facilities also caters to the need of curtailing carbon footprint in the region. KEYWORDS: Travel behaviour, gender, area, occupation, India

Climate change, fuelled by the growing transportation sector, is a pressing global challenge. There is a need to promote such a system of transportation, which is not only efficient but also sustainable. Using descriptive statistics complemented with a logit model of choice probabilities implemented on survey data from a city in a developing country, this study aims to examine the impact ‘of different socio-economic factors on the choice of sustainable modes of transport while also highlighting how these choices are different for men and women—the group of working population, those with the highest level of education, the group which is the most socio-economically well-off and the population of men most unlikely to prefer sustainable modes of transport. The study emphasizes the need to incorporate the varying demands of different socio-economic groups while formulating transportation policies so as to hamper neither the goal of sustainability nor the goal of women empowerment.

PurposeUsing primary survey data from an urban area in Global North, this study aims to examine the impact of sociodemographic factors on perception of usefulness of public transport and the importance of safety in preferring private modes of transport over public.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses stratified random sampling technique to collect data on travel behavior and socioeconomic characteristics. Descriptive statistics complemented with bivariate probit model and seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model is implemented on the data obtained.FindingsThe study finds that women, unmarried individuals, the youngest age group, least educated individuals and those who are working are expected to finding public transport more useful as compared to their respective counterparts. Despite finding the mode most useful, women are more likely to find it unsafe to travel.Research limitations/implicationsThe study calls attention to not only dealing with the infrastructural changes in system but also with those attached insecurities which limit its use.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a comprehensive evaluation of the demands and challenges for transportation services faced by different segments of the society is carried out in this section of the developing world.