MobiliseHER EU-India Dialogue on inclusive urban mobility

How can cities design transport systems that reflect the way people actually move?

This question guided the discussions during the MobiliseHER EU–India Dialogue on Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Urban Mobility, organised by UEMI together with MobiliseHER consortium partners.

Throughout the event, speakers from Europe and India returned to a common concern: mobility systems are often designed around simplified travel patterns that do not reflect the realities of everyday life.

In his opening remarks, Oliver Lah, Managing Director of UEMI, highlighted the importance of peer exchange and cross-sector collaboration in advancing more inclusive mobility systems.

For many women, daily journeys often involve combining different transport modes and adjusting schedules according to safety concerns. For persons with disabilities, the most difficult part of a trip is reaching a station or completing the last stretch of the journey. For migrant and low-income communities, affordability, language barriers and limited access to information can create additional obstacles.

These experiences challenge the idea that mobility systems are neutral. Instead, they show how transport planning often reflects assumptions about who uses public transport, when people travel and what their journeys look like.

Experts from Europe and India came together to discuss how mobility systems can better reflect the realities of everyday travel.

Rethinking mobility through a gender lens

Opening the event, Roberta Micillo from Bluegreen Strategy shared experiences from Bologna, where initiatives such as the Women's Mobility Charter and the Bologna Gender Atlas are helping local authorities better understand women's mobility patterns and experiences.

Drawing on local surveys, she explained that women often make more complex and fragmented journeys than men, balancing work, caregiving responsibilities and travel at different times of the day. She also highlighted how both safety and perceptions of safety can shape mobility choices and limit access to employment, education and social activities.

These insights have informed practical measures in Bologna, including a nighttime mobility plan developed with university students, the introduction of eight night bus lines and the Street Host programme, which supports people using public transport at night. Micillo also shared examples of community initiatives that help migrant women learn how to cycle and move more independently around the city.

The first panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Kaustuv Bandyopadhyay from PRIA, expanded the conversation by bringing together perspectives from civil society organisations working on gender, accessibility and inclusive mobility.

Building on these reflections, Evelyn De Wachter from Transport & Mobility Leuven noted that many datasets still fail to capture the complexity of everyday mobility. Although gender information is often available, combined trips and journeys related to caregiving responsibilities frequently remain invisible.

From data to lived experience

Accessibility and inclusion remained at the centre of the discussion.

Through experiences from the Yes to Access project in Bengaluru, Archit Majumdar from the Association of People with Disabilities explained that the lack of information about accessible routes, services and infrastructure continues to be one of the main barriers faced by persons with disabilities.

He pointed out that first- and last-mile connections are often the most challenging part of a journey. Inaccessible feeder services, unreliable information and inconsistent operations can discourage people from using public transport independently, regardless of improvements made to the main transport network.

The conversation also explored the experiences of migrant and low-income women in Indian cities. Baishali Goswami from the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development highlighted how affordability constraints, language barriers and caregiving responsibilities shape daily travel decisions.

Her contribution showed that mobility cannot be analysed in isolation. Access to childcare, the availability of essential services and social norms all influence how people move through cities. Looking at lived experiences alongside mobility data can help reveal barriers that formal assessments often fail to capture.

Building safer and more inclusive mobility systems

Safety was a recurring theme throughout the event, particularly in discussions about women's experiences of public transport and nighttime mobility.

Alessia Giorgiutti from POLIS Network introduced the concept of "darkness" in mobility systems, exploring how physical, experiential and data-related blind spots influence perceptions of safety and shape travel behaviour.

Her presentation showed that safety extends beyond lighting and surveillance infrastructure. Reliable services, visible staff presence, continuity throughout the journey and access to clear information all contribute to making people feel more confident when using public transport, especially at night.

The dialogue also explored mobility as a pathway to economic participation.

Sharing experiences from Azad Foundation, Dolon Ganguly spoke about initiatives that support women entering the transport sector as professional drivers. She highlighted the importance of combining skills development with adequate facilities and working environments that respond to women's needs.

Karima Boukir, Senior Consultant for Electric Mobility at Enedis, focused on the role of shared electric mobility options such as e-bikes, car sharing and carpooling. These, she explained, can offer greater flexibility, particularly for women with caregiving responsibilities and people living in suburban areas with fewer transport options.

Strengthening collaboration between Europe and India

Throughout the dialogue, speakers returned to a set of shared priorities: collecting gender-disaggregated data, integrating lived experiences into planning processes and involving communities in the development of mobility solutions.

The second panel, moderated by Shruti Raje from UEMI and Shobitha Jacob from C-HED, brought together perspectives from mobility operators, researchers and public authorities working across Europe and India.

Aleksandra Nikolajeva, from ATOM Mobility, explored how digital platforms can support more inclusive shared mobility services. Drawing on examples ranging from women-focused taxi services to scooter operations adapted for users with reduced mobility, she highlighted the importance of designing technology around the needs of different user groups and building flexibility into mobility systems from the outset. 

Sharing experiences from the GEMINI project in the Capital Region of Denmark, Romèo Arianna reflected on the challenges of engaging women and vulnerable groups in shared mobility services. He stressed the value of citizen engagement and stakeholder collaboration throughout the planning process, noting that inclusive mobility solutions require continuous dialogue with the communities they aim to serve.

Drawing on experiences from Kochi Metro Rail Limited, Gokul T. G. highlighted how gender-disaggregated ridership data can inform service design, from payment systems to station layouts and lighting strategies.

Dr. Shalini Sinha from CRDF-CEPT University emphasised the importance of moving beyond aggregate mobility data to better understand walking patterns, first- and last-mile challenges and the travel needs of different user groups. She noted that more inclusive transport systems depend not only on reliable public transport services, but also on safe, accessible and barrier-free walking infrastructure.

Based on research on travel behaviour and mode choice in Indian cities, Dr. Meghna Verma from Ramaiah Institute of Management argued that discussions around sustainable mobility must also consider the need for better integration across transport systems. She noted that fragmented governance, limited gender-disaggregated data and gaps in first- and last-mile connectivity continue to shape mobility choices, particularly for women, who often combine commuting with caregiving responsibilities and other daily activities.

The MobiliseHER EU–India Dialogue provided an opportunity to exchange practical approaches that can support more inclusive and gender-responsive mobility planning in both European and Indian cities.