Gendered mobility and safety challenges for young women using public transport in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal

Background: Public transport is vital for mobility, but women’s safety remains overlooked, especially in areas with inadequate infrastructure, economic vulnerability and high unemployment, such as Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine safety challenges experienced by young women who depend on public transport in Port Shepstone, within the given broader context of pervasive gender-based violence in South Africa. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data. Commuters were selected using purposive sampling to capture diverse mobility experiences. Results: The findings reveal widespread harassment, assault and intimidation primarily perpetrated by male minibus taxi drivers and passengers. These experiences are compounded by a lack of transport infrastructure, including poor road conditions, inadequate street lighting and limited transport options, significantly restricting women’s mobility. Conclusion: Women adopt various self-protection strategies to cope with systemic failures in transport safety. This research highlights critical policy gaps and the urgent need for gender-sensitive transport planning, targeted driver training programmes, improved physical infrastructure and law enforcement to address mobility injustice and empower female commuters in Port Shepstone and similar urban areas in South Africa. Contribution: This research contributes to sustainable development goal (SDG) 11, which emphasises the ‘need for inclusive, safe and sustainable transport systems, special attention to be given to the needs of those in vulnerable situations including women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly’.