Pathway towards Gender-Responsive Mobility

WRI India organised a multistakeholder workshop under MobiliseHER on 19th December 2025 at Radisson Blu Atria, Bengaluru. Officials from different government agencies and members of civil society organizations reviewed policies relevant to each organization on gender inclusion in mobility. They also identified practical pathways to strengthen these policies.

The workshop organized in association with The Urban Catalysts as part of WRI India’s efforts under MobiliseHER, had two main goals. First, it equipped policymakers and civil society organizations with tools to understand gender considerations across the policy cycle, from planning and budgeting to implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and reflect on their respective roles in advancing gender inclusion. Second, it built the capacity of CSOs to engage consistently with government agencies, enabling them to advocate for and support the integration of gender considerations on transport and urban development plans and policies.

Participants included representatives from five Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) corporations, Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL), Rail Infrastructure Development (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) along with representations from civil society organizations.

The workshop began with an overview of the MobiliseHER project and its objectives. A role play exercise called “Leave No One Behind” showed the participants the current gaps in mobility solutions for people of all different, gender, abilities, and age groups.

The Urban Catalysts team then introduced the gender-inclusive framework. Participants are divided into small groups by agency, with civil society organization representatives in each. They assessed their organization’s policies using the gender framework discussed, followed by which co-created solutions and recommendations to make services more gender inclusive.

Srinivas Alavalli, Fellow – Integrated Transport and Road Safety, WRI India shared the success stories of government and citizen collaboration and stressed upon the relevance of collaboration in making Bengaluru more gender inclusive.

Key Takeaways:

1. Many officials shared that this was their first workshop of its kind to sensitize them on gender needs in urban mobility. They shared the need to have regular capacity sessions. Participants highlighted the need for sensitizing officials at all levels.

2. Gender inclusion in urban mobility and transport policies was new for many participants. Some only knew about the 33% of reservations to be made. The session helped them review the organizational policies in detail and think beyond this 33% mandate.

3. Across all departments shared the need for having gender experts in their organization. GBA officials felt that they should hire gender experts in their newly constituted Urban Design Cell.

4. Participants also realized the importance of collecting gender disaggregated data periodically and how these insights can be utilized for improving the systems.