Learning about Street Harassment on Transit: Preparing a Survey Instrument for Transit Agencies

Street harassment is a persistent, albeit largely underreported, phenomenon. It takes place in public spaces and transit environments such as transit vehicles, transit stops, and on the way to these (or other) destinations. It impacts certain transit riders disproportionately, leading to feelings of fear and lack of safety, and may decrease their mobility and transit use. Those mostly victimized by sexual harassment on transit are women, gender non-binary travelers, and transgender people, who are often reluctant or unaware of how to report it. Studies find that the fear of sexual harassment also leads some groups of riders, to avoid using transit, only use it under specific circumstances (e.g., during the daytime, only if accompanied, etc.), or experience feelings of fear and stress, while in transit environments (Ding et al. 2020).