Determinants of violence on public transportation from the perspective of a small city in the global south

Both actual and perceived insecurity are relevant factors explaining the travel experiences of public transportation users, particularly women. Therefore, avoiding violence during public transportation trips is essential for improving the quality of service. Through a survey carried out in Ocaña, a small city located in Colombia, where passengers travel in minibusses, shared taxis, and motorcycle taxis, we modeled the incidence and frequency with which people experience different types of violence on public transportation. Binomial models were estimated to determine which variables influenced the probability of experiencing at least one episode in the last year, and Poisson regression models were estimated to determine which factors influenced the number of episodes experienced. The results show that the occurrence and number of episodes are higher for women, particularly for episodes related to sexual violence, and increase with higher access, waiting, and travel times for all modes. Model results demonstrate the relevance of public transportation route design to reduce exposure to violence, particularly at night, where it is feasible to operate with time-scheduled services to reduce waiting times. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Determinants of violence on public transportation from the perspective of a small city in the global south Academic Article in Scopus