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Good practice Imported

Meri Seif — Women-Only Safe Bus Service, Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea · Port Moresby · See the Papua New Guinea profile · See the Port Moresby profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 55% 63/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

After a 2014 study found over 90% of Port Moresby women had faced transport violence, the city launched women-only 'Meri Seif' buses with female crews and fixed timetables; the fleet grew from 1 bus and 21,000 riders in 2014 to 11 buses and 600,000+ riders yearly by 2019.

600,000+
Annual ridership (mid-2019)
11 buses
Bus fleet size (2019)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
National Capital District Commission (NCDC), with UN Women Papua New Guinea and the Government of Australia
Period
2014–present
Keywords
public transport, municipal government, GBV prevention

Context

A 2014 UN Women scoping study found more than 90% of women and girls interviewed in Port Moresby had experienced violence on public transport. In response, the National Capital District Commission, UN Women Papua New Guinea, and Australian Government funding (~PGK 6 million/USD 1.97 million) launched the 'Meri Seif' women-only bus service in 2014, staffed by uniformed female crews.

Results

From August to December 2015, the pilot route alone carried 47,000 women passengers. The service scaled from 1 bus, 1 route and about 21,000 riders in 2014 to 11 buses, 6 routes and more than 600,000 riders a year by mid-2019.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
National Capital District Commission (NCDC), UN Women Papua New Guinea, Australian Government (funder), uniformed female bus crews

Conditions for success

  • Sustained donor funding for fleet expansion
  • Continued route coverage matching demand

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Data sources

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