Understanding How Women Travel is a study to understand the unique and diverse mobility needs of women in LA County. For the first time in Metro’s history, this study explored the experiences of women traveling by Metro through an analysis of existing data sources, such as on-board surveys, and innovative new data sources, such as ethnography in buses and trains.

Initiated by Metro’s Women and Girls Governing Council and endorsed by former LA Metro CEO Phil Washington, Understanding How Women Travel will form the foundation on which Metro can develop a Gender Action Plan for the future.

This groundbreaking study is a broad, intersectional effort to identify mobility barriers and challenges that women face. This study analyzes existing data sets and activates five primary data collection methodologies to fill gaps in the existing quantitative data sets and to connect with core transit rider groups that may be difficult to reach through conventional methods. Understanding How Women Travel provides a foundation of knowledge upon which Metro can actively work toward enhancing the quality of the travel experience for women in LA County.